A Deal
by lady-warrioress
Summary: TFA Universe: Starscream escapes from the Elita Guard, with a little help from a certain spider. Some Starscream x Blackarachnia
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Transformers. **

_**This started out as a theory. **_

"Are you sure he can't get loose?" Elite Guard member Sentinel Prime asked his superior, Ultra Magnus.

Magnus didn't take his optics off the unmoving Decepticon laying prostrate on the table as he said. "I can assure you, Sentinel Prime, that there is no way he'll be able to get loose." he took his optics off the Decepticon and set them on the younger mech. "If he was able to he would have tried to by now, but, he hasn't moved since we brought him in here."

Sentinel nodded. That was true. It almost seemed that the Decepticon that Optimus Prime had called Starscream was no longer functional. Sentinel opened his mouth to ask a question but Magnus, seemingly finished with the conversation, turned from the other mech and headed out of the room. "We should head back to the control room," he said. "Jazz has already contacted the Council."

"Yes sir," Sentinel said. The blue mech cast one last look at Starscream before he followed his superior out of the room.

The door hissed shut and the lights went out as the two Autobots exited the holding cell. Suddenly a tiny glowing object embeded in Starscream's forehead lit the room and pulsated, sending ripples of energy through the jet's body. The Decepticon's optics returned to their full brightness as he regained conciousness and feeling. His vision came into focus first and he found himself staring at the ceiling.

_What? What is this? Where am I? _Just then the feeling returned to his body and he was racked with pain from the damage he'd sustained from his earlier Autobot encounter. He groaned, instantly becoming aware of something in his mouth that was keeping him from making any type of intelligable sound. If he was going to suffer it would be in silence. He tried to spit it out but the object didn't move. It stayed in place, refusing to detach itself. He raised his hand to remove it manually and saw his wrists were cuffed together. _What in the Pit is this?!_

And it all came back to him at once.

The multiple times he'd tried to kill Megatron only to be slagged himself but never dying thanks to the shard of the Allspark embeded in his forehead that made him immortal. His encounter with the Autobots and the Elite Guard after Megatron once again slagged him. The memory of Optimus Prime slapping these infernal things on his wrists and knocking him offline. He growled in anger. Those cursed Autobots! Why did they have to keep ruining his plans?! Why did they have to interfere anyway?

_When I get out of here they're going to regret ever crossing me! _he vowed, glaring at his wrists. _But first I have to get these things off me! _

That was going to be a problem. He knew how these things worked. If you tried to get out of them they zapped you and knocked you out again. The last thing he needed right now was for that to happen. He pulled his hands as close to his face as he could and studied the cuffs. How was he going to get out of them without them zapping him again?

_Maybe if I-_

A sudden shuffling sound made him turn his head. His optics scanned the darkened room for the source and he just barely made out a figure near or was it on? the wall. _What now? _He couldn't call out to whoever it was because of the thing covering his mouth so all he could do was watch it. So far it hadn't moved. _Whoever you are you'd better show yourself. _

The answer came without the figure saying a word. Eight glowing red eyes suddenly lit up and he heard the sound of transforming. He now knew who it was now but he didn't relax or feel any better. _Blackarachnia. What is she doing here? _

He'd never felt comfortable around the she-spider. She always had some kind of wall around her and she was hard to talk to when he even bothered to try. He'd always figured she didn't like him and he didn't really care if she did or didn't. If she didn't like him he didn't like her either. He wondered how long she'd been there. She was probably getting a real kick out of his predicament.

He heard her footsteps and watched her shadowy figure coming toward him. When she was about three steps away she stopped and he could make out her outline completely. Sleek and deadly. Black and dark purple in color. She had one hand on her hip and she seemed to be smiling. He glared at her, not seeing what was so amusing. _Go ahead. Laugh it up. _

"I never thought I'd see the day when_ you _ended up in one of these," she said, her voice echoing off the walls. He noticed her voice held no trace of amusement. "but I guess _anyone_ could be beaten by a bunch of rock busters and a little human girl with a key."

Starscream looked away, ignoring the insult. It was bad enough he was in this situation to begin with but why did she have to rub it in?

"What's wrong?" she said, putting both hands on her hips and leaning forward. "Aren't you going to give me some kind of come back?" Then she laughed at herself, the sound as dry as her humor. "Oh, that's right. you can't talk." she folded her arms and walked a few paces away from him, stopping near his legs and sitting down on the table. "You know," she said, leaning her head back. "I might be able to help you."

_Yeah sure you could, _he thought, not believing her for a second. How was she going to help him? Defeat the Elite Guard by herself and get him the key? That wasn't likely to happen.

She turned her head and frowned at him, noticing his reddish orange optics glaring at her. "Don't be like that," she said, looking pouty, lifting her legs and wrapping her arms around them. "I only want to help you."

_You can help me by going away. How did you get in here anyway and why are you even in here? I doubt it was because you saw me being hauled in here and felt sorry for me. _He looked away from her. _I don't need your help. _

"You know they're not going to let you live," Blackarachnia's voice burst into his thoughts.

He looked at her, wondering what she was talking about. She met his gaze, reached out her hand, and poked the Allspark fragment in his forehead. "First they'll yank out this little jewel you've got here then extinguish your spark and throw your shell in the scrap heap."

_And how would you know all of this? _

She must have read the question in his optics because she said, moving her hand back to its former position. "I've seen it happen before."

Starscream didn't know how she could and didn't care anyway. Why was she bothering to tell him this? It wasn't like they could do anything to his spark anyway. He didn't have one anymore but if they took away the fragment... He didn't want to think about it.

"However, if you don't want that to happen let me suggest something," she said, unfolding her arms from around her legs and letting them drop as she turned her body so it faced him. She kept his gaze and smiled. "You help me and I'll help you." she reached out her hand again.

Starscream felt her fingers grasp the thing covering his mouth and yank it loose. It came out, showering sparks in all directions. She crushed it in her fist and dropped it. He heard it clatter on the floor.

Now that he could talk he could get some things off his chest. He lifted his head and demanded. "Why do you want to help me and where have you been hiding all this time?"

She avoided the second question by answering the first. "Because you might be able to do what I can't."

He looked at her suspiciously. "And that would be?"

She answered his question with a desperate sound to her voice. "Get a certain key from a certain human."

_A key? _"What key?"

"The key the Autobot's little human friend wears around her neck," Blackarachnia replied.

"What do you need this key for?" he wanted to know, not impressed yet. Why did she want a key so much? What was so special about it?

She crossed her arms again and put her one leg over the other. 'This key was charged by the Allspark and has the power to give life to machines," she told him. "I'm sure it has other powers too." she raised her hand and glared at her fingers. "I want to use it to purge myself of my organic half."

_Hmm, a key powered by the AllSpark. Interesting. _

She looked at him again. She saw she'd gotten his attention. She reached over and grabbed his cuffed wrists, yanking them forward and forcing him into a sitting position. He felt them spark slightly but that was it. They didn't knock him out this time. "This key could _also_ help you overthrow Megatron," she said, her face close to his and her voice low. "What do you say?"

He said nothing for a moment. He let his mind weigh the possibilites. He could tell she was desperate to get this key and from her explanation he could see why. A key with the power to give life to otherwise "dead" machines could be useful. Maybe it could even give him back his own spark. _I could agree to help her and then got find the key myself after we return to Earth. I might even be able to use it against Megatron like she said. _That thought made him smile. _This sounds promising. Extremely promising. _

"Okay," he said after a moment. "I'll help you."

She smiled, pleased. She held up the key to the cuffs and worked on the lock. While she worked he asked her again. "What are you doing in here?"

She didn't look up as she said. "I saw the Autobots carrying you in here and I figured you might need some help." he heard the cuffs lock click and they opened, falling from his wrists and clattering onto the table. "There, you're free." she moved away from him, and started to get up. "Let's go."

"Wait." he reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist. She looked down at him. "You figured I needed some help?" he asked. "Since _when_ did _you_ care about whether _I_ needed help or not?"

"I already told you," she replied. "I need your help. I wasn't about to bother going to Megatron for this. He doesn't care anyway."

"So you figured you'd take advantage of my situation and get me to be your pawn?" he demanded.

She met his optics. "Why not?" she asked. "You've done the exact same thing."

He smirked, knowing she was absolutely right. "So you did learn something from me," he said.

She also smirked, turning her body and putting her finger under his chin. She brought his face close to hers. "Only the things that I can use," she told him.

* * *

"Jazz," Ultra Magnus said, as he and Sentinel stepped into the control room. "Have you contacted the Cybertron Council?"

"Yes sir," Jazz said, looking up from the computer consol. "I've informed them that we'll be bringing in a Decepticon and they can deal with him once we've returned. "

Magnus nodded. "Good work," he said, stepping past the white Autobot and staring out the windshield. He folded his arms and said, "Before the Council decides his fate I want him questioned. He might be able to tell us what Megatron is planning."

"Why don't we just question him now and save the Council the hassle?" Sentinel demanded. "With the right prompting I'm sure he'll tell us anything we need to know."

"Sentinel Prime," Magnus said, patiently. "Questioning a Decepticon isn't that simple. You need the right equipment to undertake such a task."

"Like what?" Sentinel asked. "Tell me what and I'll do it."

Magnus didn't even turn as he said. "_You _don't have the patience."

Sentinel stared at him. "What?"

This time Magnus did turn, he met the younger mech's gaze. "Questioning Decepticons takes more than just the right equipment," he told him. "That is only part of the process. Decepticons are stubborn and strong willed. It takes time to break their spirits, a long time. Sometimes many years."

"So you're saying I won't be able to do it?" Sentinel asked, looking angry.

Magnus faced the younger bot, his hands behind his back. He fixed his gaze on Sentinel, his face never changing expression. "That is exactly what I am saying."

* * *

Blackarachnia's hand lingered on Starscream's face a little longer than necessary then she finally let him go, turning her back to him. He let her wrist go and stood, following her as she walked toward the door. "So," he said, folding his arms. "You didn't happen to have get the key for the cell while you were getting the one for the cuffs did you?"

She looked back at him, a nervous smile on her face. "Well," she said. "The thought didn't even cross my mind."

"What?" He glared at her. He considered yelling at her about it but chose against it. "Nevermind," he said, pushing past her. He raised his arms and aimed the null guns attached to them at the door. "I'll deal with this the old fasioned way." and fired.

* * *

Sentinel stared at Magnus, not believing what he had just heard. "How can you say that?" he demanded, sounding hurt. "I've been with you for years now and-"

"I've observed you long enough to know that you are not qualified for such a task," Magnus told him.

"But-"

Magnus waved a hand and silenced the younger mech. "Not another word," he said. "You are not going to question him and that's my final say on the matter."

Sentinel sputtered a moment then sighed. "Yes sir," he said before turning and walking out of the room.

Magnus watched him go then turned his attention back to deep space.

* * *

Sentinel stalked away from the control room, grumbling to himself. "I'm not qualified?!" he muttered. "How can he say I'm not qualified?! I'm more qualified than _anyone_! What's he going to do? Give Jazz the responsibility? Jazz wouldn't be able to handle it." he stopped and thought a moment. "Maybe he's testing me? Maybe he wants me to prove myself? Prove that I have the skills?" he smiled at the thought. "Hey, why not?" he started walking again, this time toward Starscream's cell. "I'll show him I _am_ qualified."

He reached the cell but, before he was close enough to open the door, it blasted out. He stopped in his tracks and stared, not sure what he was seeing. When Starscream stepped out of the cell he exclaimed. "What? How did you get out of there?"

Starscream looked up at him and smirked. "That, Autobot," he said raising his arm. "Is privileged information." then fired his null gun at the Autobot.

Sentinel raised his shield and blocked the blast. Starscream walked toward him, using both null guns to blast a steady stream of energy at him. Sentinel ground his teeth and glared at the Decepticon. _Primus! _he thought. _How did this guy get loose? I thought he was offline. _Then he noticed movement behind the jet and turned his head to get a better look. A sleek, black and purple figure stepped out of the cell and walked forward. He saw the purple insigna on her chest._**Another **Decepticon!? _

* * *

Blackarachnia stood behind Starscream, who was firing unmercifully at Sentinel, and stared open mouthed at the Autobot. _Sentinel?! _she thought. _I can't believe it!_ She didn't think she'd ever see him again but here he was right in front of her, being pinned down by Starscream's merciless shooting. Without thinking, she grabbed Starscream's arm. "Don't!" she exclaimed.

He kept on shooting but turned his head to stare at her, his optics full of surprise. "What?!" he asked.

"Let him get away," she said.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"So he can tell the other Autobots what happened," she replied.

"WHAT?!" the jet demanded. "Why should I let him do such a thing?"

"So we can deal with them all at once," she answered, thinking quickly. "You know one of them is probably monitering the security system and, even if you take this one out, the alarms will just let the others know you got loose. Why not take care of that problem now?"

Starscream thought about it. It seemed like a good idea. "Fine," he said, powering down his guns. "We'll do this your way."

Sentinel's shield powered down the same instant Starscream stopped firing. He stared at the two Decepticons and then turned and ran. Blackarachnia looked at Starscream. He ignored her and chased after the Autobot, deciding not to wait around for him to return with re-enforcements. He'd come to them. Blackarachnia watched him go then quickly followed, knowing he couldn't deal with all three by himself.

* * *

"MAGNUS!" Sentinel exclaimed, bursting into the control room. "The prisoner has escaped!"

Magnus instantly turned around and stared at him. "What?!" he demanded.

'The prisoner has escaped!" Sentinel explained, waving his hands as he related what had happened. "He had some kind of accomplice sneak in before we left and he got loose!"

Magnus got moving, grabbing his hammer and running toward the entrance. "Jazz," he said. "See if you can pinpoint his location!"

Before Jazz could do a thing, Starscream bursting into the room. "I'm right here!" he shouted before he raised his arm and blasted Jazz out of his seat. The white mech flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

Magnus raised his hammer and came at Starscream with it. The jet rose above his head and dodged the blow, landing behind the him. "Too slow," he said before blasting Magnus off his feet.

Sentinel watched Magnus fly across the room then came at Starscream, activating his shield and pulling out his lance. Starscream grabbed the top of the shield and yanked it down. "Surprise," he said, before shooting Sentinel in the face.

By then Jazz had gotten back up and came at Strascream from behind. Starscream turned and spotted the Autobot coming at him. He jerked back when the Autobot swung at him with his weapon then grabbed the white mech's wrist and picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. Jazz smashed into Sentinel who was just getting up. The two robots fell to the floor with a clang. Starscream stood over them, his hands on his hips and his face full of mockery. "I expected a little more from the so called Elita Guard," he taunted.

The Decepticon suddenly felt a surge of energy coursing through his feet then go up his body. He screamed as the pulse went through him and he flew across the room and into the security console, his body shooting off sparks. He groaned and raised his head.

Magnus was on his feet again, holding that hammer in both hands. He was walking toward the Decepticon who, at the moment, couldn't move. "You're one stubborn Decepticon," Magnus said. "You shouldn't have tried escaping. You're only making things worse for yourself."

Starscream glared at him. His arm twitched. Magnus saw the movement and brought down his hammer again, sending another shockwave pulsing through the jet's body. Screams escaped the Decepticon's vocalizer until the shocks once again subsided. He almost blacked out but he felt the fragment in his forehead pulsate and keep him online. He lifted his head again and glared at the Autobot, hate filling him as he stared at that expressionless face. _I am going to kill you!_

Magnus, seeing the killer look in the Decepticon's optics, got ready to shock the jet again but, before he could, a shock went through his own body and he screamed in agony at the assault then fell over, offline. Starscream stared up at his rescuer. Blackarachnia. She put out her hand. "Let me help you up," she said.

Starscream, too shocked to protest, put out his hand and let her take it. She pulled him to his feet. "Let's get out of here," she said.

"Not so fast," said a voice behind her.

She turned her head. Jazz and Sentinel had gotten back up. "Not again," Starscream growled. He was getting sick of this. Why couldn't the Autobots just stay down? He raised his arm. "How would you like to-"

But Blackarachnia cut him off. "Let me deal with them," she said and stepped away from him.

Jazz attacked first, coming at her like he had done with Starscream. The female mech smirked and suddenly a giant hammer appeared in her hands. Jazz paused, staring at the hammer in surprised. "What in the Allspark?" he exclaimed.

She chuckled. "How do you like my little trick?" she asked him. "Let me show you what_ else _I can do." then she brought down the hammer and sent a pulse of electricity through the floor and toward the Autobot. Jazz didn't even have time to move. The shock hit him point blank and went through his entire body. He screamed in pain then flew across the room and smacked into the control panel. The panel shot off sparks as he crumpled to the floor, offline.

Sentinel watched this happen then ran forward, activating his shield and lance. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted.

She turned to him, her four optics lighting up with menace. "I don't think so, Sentinel," she said.

He stopped, surprised that she knew his name. "How do you? Do I know you?" he asked.

"This is how!" she said once again using that hammer.

He dodged the blast just in time and tried to get closer. He didn't get very far. Blackarachnia shot something at him and he dropped his shield as he slammed into the wall and stayed there. "What is this?" he demanded, struggling to get free from the sticky substance holding him in place.

The hammer in the female mech's hand powered down then disappeared. Blackarachnia walked over to him, smirking. "_That_, Sentinel," she said. "Is how I know you."

He stared at her, not sure what to say and not sure what he had just heard. He jogged his memory and a time and place came to mind. _It can't be! _"Elita?" he gasped.

She didn't answer him. She turned away and joined Starscream who had been watching without a word. "Let's go," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "Before Mr. Electricity here comes around."

Starscream needed no prompting. He followed her out of the control room and toward the area that housed the escape pods. The two hopped into the first pod they came across and shot out of the ship into space and began their return trip to Earth.

Blackarachnia put the ship on auto pilot and turned to Starscream who had slumped against the wall, looking drained. "Hopefully Big Blue won't come online until we're out of scanning range," she said walking over to him, her arms folded.

He nodded but didn't lift his head, it hurt too much. She noticed and knelt down beside him, noticing the damage to his body for the first time. Magnus hammer had done more damage than she thought but that wasn't where it had all come from. Most of it was from his Autobot encounter back on Earth. _What if this knocks him offline for good? _She couldn't have that. She needed him. She raised a hand and put it on his chest. He tried to swat it away. "I am fine," he told her. "I don't need your sympathy."

"You're not getting it," she said, putting her hand onto his chest whether he wanted her to or not. "But I can't have you going offline on me. Now let me see what I can do."

He didn't have the strength to argue with her anymore so he ignored her, letting her do what she had to. He felt he hands carefully travel to the damaged areas on his body, wincing at the slightest touch but saying nothing. When he felt her hand go to his spark chamber he finally reacted. "No!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and turning his head to glare at her.

She stared at him, surprised at his reaction. "What?" she asked, not knowing what she had done.

"Don't open that," he snapped.

"Fine," she said, not sure why he was acting so offended. It wasn't like she hadn't seen the inside of a spark chamber before. "I won't."

He let her hand go, seemingly satisfied with her words. She moved her hand away from the spot and tested another area, trying her best to deal with the damage on his frame. So far nothing seemed too critical and maybe a trip to the CR would do the trick. She was about to suggest this when he spoke first

"Thank you."

She stared at him. "What?"

He didn't look at her as he said, seeming to have a hard time getting the words out. 'Thank you for... helping me."

She said nothing for a moment then finally responded. "Don't let it get to your head," she told him. "I was only doing it for my own selfish gain."

He smirked, amused at her words, turning his head to look at her. "That," he said. "Is what _I'm_ supposed to say."

**THE END? **

_A/N_

_This began as a theory. After watching Mission Accomplished last Saturday this came to mind. Starscream is supposed to come back but I asked myself how does he get away? This was my answer but I might be wrong. If I'm am well I don't care. I won't find out for another month anyway. This wasn't even supposed to be as long as it came out but I was having so much fun writing it that I couldn't stop and this is the result. I just hoped you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't want to find out I did all this work for nothing. I hope everyone was at least slightly in character. _

_This was so fun and I'm wondering if I should make this longer, you know add more chapters? If you think I should tell me. If not well tell me anyway. _


	2. Chapter 2

**_WARNING! IF YOU LIKED IT AS A ONE SHOT DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER! IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE ANYWAY GO RIGHT AHEAD.  
_**

**For those who wanted me to continue. Set after Mission Accomplished. Theory becomes story. Story becomes an AU to current TFA events if future episodes proves theory wrong. Not to be taken as canon. I do not own or have anything to do with the creation of Transformers. **

_**Number 2 The Transmission**_

Optimus Prime did not expect to hear from the Elita Guard for another few months or ever again. Since he'd been given the task to taking care of Earth and finding AllSpark fragments he'd figured the Elite Guard would only contact him when they wanted a status report. He did not expect them to contact him less than a week after they had left. He was a little surprised to be contacted so early but he figured they'd forgotten to tell him something when they left or they wanted an early report. Either way it wasn't anything to worry about, or so he thought.

Sentinel's expression told him otherwise. The other Prime looked upset and strangely freaked out. Optimus wondered what was wrong with him. "What is is, Sentinel?" he asked.

"We have a problem," Sentinel replied, looking over his shoulder. Optimus noticed Magnus in the background seemingly leaning over something. Something white. _Jazz? _

Optimus sensed something wrong by Sentinel's words and body language and the fact that Jazz seemed to be offline. "What happened?" the other Prime wanted to know.

Sentinel looked back at the screen, making a face. "Uh, I'll let Magnus tell you," he said. He stepped aside and the older mech appeared on the screen. His face looked grave. Optimus wondered what had happened. "What's going on?"

"The Decepticon escaped," Magnus told him in a voice that got right to the point.

Optimus stared, not believing what he had just heard. "What?"

Magnus said it again. "The Decepticon we captured escaped from our ship," he told the younger mech. "We believe it was an inside job."

"What makes you say that?"

"He had an accomplice slip on board before we left Earth," his superior answered. "A female."

_A female? What female? _The answer came rather easily. He knew of only one female Decepticon. The former Autobot Elita-1. "Sir-" he began.

"We believe they're heading back to Earth," Magnus cut him off. "Currently we are unable to pursue them. The Council still needs our report and I dread informing them that their source of information escaped. Until I get this mess cleaned up I will need you and your crew to keep an eye out for them. Can you do this?" he didn't sound like he thought they could.

"Yes sir," Optimus answered, nodding in confirmation. "We will keep an eye out for them and let you know if we see anything."

"I'm counting on you," Magnus said before ending the transmission.

Optimus turned from the blank screen and folded his arms, thinking. _Elita sneaked onto the Elite Guard ship and rescued Starscream? _he thought. _But why? Why would she go through all that trouble to get him out? _He thought about it for a moment then a pretty logical answer came to him. _She needs his help. _He concluded. _She couldn't go to the other Decepticons about her problem because they probably wouldn't care anyway. She must have figured, since Megatron doesn't seem to want Starscream around, that he would be the perfect person to help her. _He shook his head.

"What did Ultra Magnus want?" asked a voice, making him jump.

Optimus looked up. Ratchet was walking toward him, his optics curious.

Optimus faced the medic, folding his arms, his optics serious. "Starscream has escaped," he replied.

Ratchet's optics grew huge. "What do you mean Starscream escaped?!" he demanded.

"Magnus just told me," Prime replied, shaking his head. "Starscream was set free by Blackarachnia."

"Blackarachnia?" the medic questioned. "You mean that half breed fembot that used to be one of your best friends?"

"That's the one," Optimus replied.

"Now why would she go and do a thing like that? It's not like he can help her return to normal."

"I don't know."

"Maybe Megatron put her up to it," Ratchet said, thoughtfully. "Maybe he thought Starscream would say something so he sent her to release him and make sure he didn't?"

"That might be it but I doubt it." Prime replied. "I get the feeling Starscream and Megatron aren't on good terms with each other."

Ratchet couldn't say anything to that. "So what are we going to do about it?" he asked. "Are they even coming here?"

"Magnus thinks they are," Optimus replied. "and if they are we'll have to be ready. We don't need a fugitive on our hands." he walked past the medic. "Especially one that is just as dangerous as Megatron."

"Then you'd better call the others in," Ratchet told him. "Because they'll need to know."

* * *

Blackarachnia sat at the controls of the escape pod she and Starscream had stolen from the Elite Guard spaceship. For the moment the vessel was still in autopilot but the female mech stayed at the controls anyway, her four red optics focused on the dark voice of space. At the moment she was the only one in the control room. Starscream was currently in the small repair chamber in the back of the ship, offline for the time being, as the machine slowly repaired the damage to his body. Blackarachnia couldn't help noticing through the small window in the door the tiny AllSpark fragment in his forehead, giving off a pale blue light as if it too was helping with the repairs.

She was feeling lonely. With the jet currently in stasis she had nobody to talk to and plenty of time to dwell on her problem. It hadn't seemed like much of a big deal before the AllSpark had been found. Sure the other Decepticons didn't know what to make of her and Blitzwing would mock her about it but, for awhile, she had let the problem die out, thinking it could never be fixed anyway. She had almost learned to live with it.

Now that the AllSpark was found and had charged Sari's key the chances of her becoming normal again were greatly increased and she couldn't stop thinking about it. She still wasn't sure she could trust Starscream to help her but he was the only other option. Megatron didn't really care about her problem and Lugnut had a one track mind so whatever Megatron thought was important he did too. Blitzwing was extremely unpredictable and didn't like her anyway. That had left her with only one bot to choose. Starscream, the lying, manipulative, egomaniac with the hidden agenda.

She had watched Starscream long enough to know he'd do anything to get what he wanted. She had taken in that information and let it set in the back of her processor, thinking she might be able to use it in the future. She'd been in the area when Megatron had unceromoniously dumped Starscream, stripping him of his former rank and dignity. She could have come to him then but it hadn't felt like the right time. Even after Starscream had been dumped three more times it still hadn't felt like the time. She'd followed him around after that, staying in the shadows and not being seen. Once he'd been captured by the Autobot Elite Guard she felt it was time to put her own plan into action and had sneaked into the ship and waiting for the right moment to spring her plan on him.

Saying just the right words to him had stroked his ego just enough to make him compliant. Of course she wasn't dumb enough to think he wouldn't try to dump her and go off by himself, but maybe a little persistance would make him stay around a little longer? She glanced back at the chamber. He was almost finished repairing. Just a few more minutes. She'd try it out on him once it was through and he was back online. _Maybe it'll be easier than I think, _she said to herself. _I hope so. But he's not that easy to manipulate. I will have to be very careful..._

She got up out of her chair and walked over to the chamber, stopping and staring into the little window. "So let's see if I prove myself right," she said, putting her hand on the window and scratching the glass with her fingernails. "and maybe just maybe we'll wind up using _each other_."

* * *

Prowl, Bumblebee, and the human girl named Sari had not been at the Autobot's base when Ultra Magnus has given Optimus the news so for the moment they were completely oblivious to the problem. That wouldn't last much longer.

Prowl recieved the message from Prime who said he needed them back at the base as soon as possible. The ninja mech let Bumblebee know and Sari, who currently lived at their base with them, climbed inside Bee and the three drove back to the base, going a little over the speed limit but not getting any trouble because of Prowl's vehicle mode and the police officer he used as a hologram..

"What's going on?" Prowl asked when he and Bumblebee and Sari returned to the base. "You made it sound important. Did something happen?"

"Yes," Optimus replied, turning to them, his face serious. "Starscream escaped the Elite Guard."

"What?" Bumblebee exclaimed, not believing what he just heard. "You mean that crazy Decepti-jet is running loose somewhere!?"

"Yes," Prime replied, nodding. "It seems he had an accomplice sneak onto the ship before they left and she freed him."

"Wait a minute," Prowl interrupted. "_She_?"

Optimus looked at them. "It was Blackarachnia."

"_Blackarachnia_?" Bumblebee asked, his expression shocked and his optics wide . "You mean that freaky half organic half metal she-bot that tried to kill the planet with Sari's key?!"

"Please don't remind me," Sari muttered, though nobody heard her.

Optimus gave Bumblebee a hard look. He did not appreciate Blackarachnia being called a freak of any kind. He couldn't really blame Bee for saying such a thing. The younger mech didn't even know that the femme bot had once been the Autobot named Elita-1. Optimus wasn't even sure why he should feel offended. It was clear the femmbot did not want his help. He should just let her go and stop dwelling on it. "Yes," he said after a moment.

"But why did Magnus tell you about it?" Prowl wanted to know. "It's unlikely that the two will come back here."

"Magnus believes they will," Prime told the ninja. "and I believe he's right."

"What makes you think that?"

Optimus pointed at Sari, who hadn't said much since they go there. She was riding on Bumblebee's shoulder and her Allspark charged key hung from a leather cord around her neck. "Blackarachnia wants to use that key to purge herself of her organic half," he explained. "For all she knows that is the only thing that will do it."

"But why free _Starscream_?" Bee wanted to know.

"Because she probably thinks he'll be able to help her get it," he replied. "May I remind you that Starscream isn't a push over. If she's got him helping her we have a problem."

"A big problem," Sari said, looking down at her key.

"That's_ if _they come back," Prowl pointed out.

"In our line of work there's no such thing as_ if_," Prime told him.

* * *

Starscream's repairs were finished a short time later and the jet stepped out of the chamber, his optics returning to their normal function and falling on Blackarachnia, who sat at the controls with her back to him. For the moment she wasn't aware that he had come out but she would be once he said something. At the moment he didn't feel like talking. Instead of saying anything he walked up to her, without saying a word.

She either heard or sensed his approach because she said, without turning. "So you're finally finished with your repairs. Good. I was beginning to think you'd never come out."

He scowled at the back of her head. "If you had been through all that I have the past few weeks you'd stay in there that long too," he told her, folding his arms.

She turned in her chair, smirking up at him. "I'm not dumb enough to let that sort of thing happen to me," she said.

He gave her a testy look. "Oh really?"

This time her smirk became a slightly mocking smile. "Really."

He glared at her a moment then turned his attention away from her, his optics focusing on the deep vacuum of space just outside the windshield. He wasn't sure where they were. Nothing looked familiar.

"We're in the right galaxy," she told him, as if reading his thoughts. "We won't be landing on Earth for another day or two."

"What makes you think I wanted to know that?' he asked her.

"Call it a woman's intuition," she said, turning around in her seat. "Until then I suggest you sit down. You're making me nervous standing behind me like that."

That statement amused him. "I make you nervous, eh?" he said. He leaned over, invading her space even more. "How about if I do _this?"_

Blackarachia turned around in her chair again and reached up, grabbing Starscream by the throat. She pulled his face close to hers and said in a low voice, dripping with venom. "If you want to keep that big head of yours in its proper place you will not get on my bad side, understand?"

"I'm sorry," he gasped, feeling her hand tighten around his neck. "I'm sorry!"

"You'd _better_ be," she said before letting him go and shoving him away.

He moved back a pace, his hand on his throat. He thought about saying something smart or even hitting her but changed his mind and sat down in the other seat without a word. _Stupid female!_

Silence...

_Tap Tap..._

Blackarachnia turned her attention away from the controls at the faint metallic tapping sound coming from her left. She looked at Starscream who had his chin in one hand, his elbow on the armrest and his other hand laid flat out on the other. He met her optics with an innocent stare. She looked away, wondering if the noise had been her imagination.

_Tap Tap Tap._

She turned her head sharply, catching a split second glimpse of Starscream's finger before it fell flat. He met her gaze and she thought she caught a hint of a smile.

She looked away again deciding to ignore him. He was doing it on purpose just to see her reaction. Well she wasn't going to play his little game. She'd just tune it out. That should teach him.

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap..._

It was louder this time. She kept her face ahead, trying to ignore it but it just got louder. Finally, when she couldn't stand it anymore, she whipped her head around after a moment and demanded, "Do you mind?"

He stopped. "What?" he asked sounding as if he had no idea what she meant.

"Could you stop that tapping?" she snapped. "It's getting on my nerves."

She noticed his face held a hint of a smirk but he made no snide comment like she expected him to. All he said was "I'm bored." in a slightly whiny voice.

"How can you be_ bored_?" she wanted to know. "You who spent fifty years alone in the wreckage of our old ship!"

He looked away, making a face. "It was a boring and lonely fifty years." he told her, his voice getting that annoying pitch to it. "If you had only been there to see it." he put his hand to his head dramatically. "I was bored out of my little mind and I had nothing and nobody to talk to! Such a dark depressing and lonely time-"

"Will you shut up?" she demanded.

He looked back at her, making a pouty face. "Well you asked."

"I did _not_!" she retorted. "I don't give a slag heap about how bored you were on that ship! If you haven't spent the entire time with your boring speech about "A dark day in Decepticon History" maybe you wouldn't have been stuck on that ship by yourself!"

He glared at her then said, his optics squinted slightly. "Maybe _somebody _should have _warned _me ahead of time." he reached out and poked her arm.

She slid as far away from him on the seat as she could get and shot back. "It looked obvious enough. I mean the star was right in front of you. Anyone with half a functional processor would have seen it coming."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?' he demanded, his voice getting low.

"No," she replied, looking away from him. "I'm just saying you should have realized it sooner."

He snorted but made no other comment and the silence returned. Blackarachnia turned back to the controls, thinking the discussion was over and he wouldn't bother her anyway.

_Tap tap tap tap._

This time when he started tapping the fembot didn't even _try_ to ignore it. She came flying out of her seat and grabbed Starscream by the throat, resting her legs on the armrests and putting back her fist as if to strike him. "Stop that infernal tapping!" she screamed before driving her fist forward.

Before it reached its target the chair tipped back and bot bots fell out of it, the jet landing on his back and Blackarachnia landing on top of him. As she fell the femmebot's foot hit the controls and the ship lurched sideways and spiraled out of control.

_A/N_

_I have seen preview images and stuff for the episode "Fistful of Energon". It proves that my theory was completely wrong. Having said that I will still continue this fic as a sort of AU plot. If I have not finished the story by the time the episode is aired and if you should continue wanting updates even after the fact then I will make more chapters until I feel the story is finished. _

_I am sorry that this chapter consisted mostly of talking but at the moment I'm currently low on ideas. Things will pick up as they go along. I just hope I got everyone in character or close. _

_And, if you want me to continue, let me know. Don't leave me wondering, okay?  
_


	3. Chapter 3

NUMBER 3 _Sightings. _

Starscream and Blackarachnia were thrown around the ship as it spiraled out of control. The jet smacked hard into the wall. "OOF!" he exclaimed when Blackarachnia's rear end landed on his stomach plating. "Get off me!"

Before she could say anything to that, she was thrown off the mech as the ship turned another spiral. She slammed into the wall and got pinned there when the jet slammed into her back. She gasped then shoved herself away from the wall, knocking him backward and across the room. She felt herself falling with another spiral but reached out her hand and grasped the back of her seat before she flew into Starscream's stomach again. She pulled herself into the seat as Starscream tumbled past her, and grabbed the control yolk, yanking hard on the stick and bringing the ship back to a normal straight position. She sighed in relief, glancing out of the windshield. She discovered that if she hadn't of stopped the ship when she had they would have crashed into one of the giant planet called Saturn's moons. Turning her attention away from space she glared down at Starscream who was just pushing himself off the floor, his hand on his head.

"Oohh," he moaned, trying to regain his balance. "My head! It feels like it got shot out of Megatron's fusion canon!"

"Serves you right," she said, her hands gripping the control stick tightly. "If you hadn't been tapping this never would have happened."

"My fault!? How is it _my_ fault?!" he exclaimed, instantly forgetting about his head. He pointed a clawed finger at her. "_You_ were the one who jumped on_ me_!"

"Because you thought it would be fun to annoy me with that infernal tapping!" she shot back, getting out of the seat again and stepping toward him. She leaned her face forward, standing on her tiptoes so she could get into his face better. "If you hadn't of tapped your fingers like a nervous sparkling I would not have had a reason to go at you like I did!" she poked his chest with her right index finger using it to emphasize each word. 'This _was _your fault _not_ mine!"

He swatted her hand away, his optics burning with anger and indignation. "If you really feel that way maybe you should have just left me on the Autobot's ship! Maybe you should have let them take me to Cybertron," he growled. "Then you wouldn't have me as an excuse for your flying!"

"Well maybe I _should_ have," she snapped. "Then the Autobot council could tear you apart piece by piece!"

"Maybe that would be better than putting up with you!" he shouted, getting right in her face now, his teeth gritted in anger. "Because you're just as bad!"

She glared at him for a moment then giggled.

He made a face. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She turned away from him, still giggling. "Nothing," she said, waving him off. "It's nothing."

He didn't think it was nothing. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

She pointed at him. "Your face," she replied, holding in her laughter. "It gets all scrunched up when your mad and makes you look funny."

"Eh?" he stared at her in confusion.

She stepped away from him and sat down at the controls, still laughing. He watched her go, his face turning from confused to offended. "I do not look funny when I'm mad," he muttered to himself, folding his arms. "I have a very nice face."

"Yeah you just keep telling yourself that," she said, not looking up at him. "I've seen better looking faces on maintenance bots."

He glared at her. "Well your face isn't exactly the greatest either," he shot back.

"Better looking than yours," she retorted. "At least my chin doesn't defy all the laws of facial anatomy."

That comment floored him and he couldn't think of a good come back. Instead of trying, he returned to his seat but didn't look at her again nor did he tap his fingers against the armrest of his chair. He didn't need another tumble. His stomach plating still stung from her rear end slamming into it. After a moment he said, not looking at the spider. "So...,"

She looked at him out of the corner of her optics. "So what?" she asked.

"How did you become like that anyway?" he asked in a voice that made it sound like he was making fun of the fact that she was techno-organic.

"It is none of your business," she informed him, refusing to look at him.

He turned in his seat, resting his forearms on the armrest and leaning forward with a stupid smile on his face. "Aww c'mon don't be that way," he said. "If we're going to be stuck with each other for awhile we might as well be honest about ourselves."

She snorted at that comment. "Since when have _you_ even been honest?" she sneered. "And since when have you cared about my life story anyway?"

He honestly didn't but she didn't have to know that. The only reason he was asking was because he figured he might be able to use the information to his advantage.. and he was bored. She didn't have to know that, though. "I'm curious," he lied. "and you never talk about it. I've told you my story-"

"Only because you love talking about yourself," she commented.

"-so why don't you tell me yours," he finished, ignoring her statement. "Would it hurt you to open up a little?"

_Yes. Opening up to you is the worst thing I could ever do. You're not going to have anything to black mail me with if I can help it. _"Why don't you check the scanners?" she asked him. "make sure the Elita Guard didn't come after us."

Starscream frowned at her, disappointed that she wasn't going to tell him anything then turned away from her and turned on the scanner. If the Elite Guard had come after them the computer would let them know. Unless of course it was cloaked. He looked up at the screen. Nothing.

* * *

Sentinel wanted to return to earth. "Prime won't be able to deal with Starscream on his own," he was saying to Ultra Magnus. "He'll need help."

"Sentinel Prime," Ultra Magnus said trying to be patient with the younger mech. They'd been having this conversation since Magnus finished talking to Optimus about their situation and he was getting tired of hearing it. "Optimus Prime and his men have dealt with Starscream before. They will do just fine."

"But what about the other Decepticon?" he wanted to know. 'The one that helped him escape. I know they won't be able to deal them both. They'll need back up. They'll need somebody with more experience-"

"You are needed here," Magnus cut him off. "I see no reason to send you back. You and Optimus have the same amount of experience when it comes to these things, though Optimus has more because hes dealt with more Decepticons than you have. Besides; you don't even like organics."

"That is true but I _really_ think I should be sent back to the planet and-"

"That is impossible," Magnus cut him off again. "With Jazz currently offline I will need you to help me explain this to the council." Magnus could see that Sentinel wanted to keep arguing so he said. "I don't want to hear anymore about it. Why do you want to return Earth so much anyway?"

Sentinel said nothing. He couldn't tell Magnus that the female Decepticon was really Elita-1. He wouldn't be able to understand that. "I just think I should, that's all," he said, in a small voice, not meeting the other Autobot's optics.

Magnus shook his head. "That is out of the question," he told him.

Sentinal didn't bother arguing further. It wasn't doing any good. He sighed. "Yes sir," then turned to the controls. _Maybe I should have said something. Explained it to him. I just hope Optimus doesn't do anything to her. Same goes for that Decepticon. If he as much as lays a finger on her I'll-_

* * *

Prowl stepped into his room and closed the door behind himself. He was bothered by something and needed some time alone to think. He wasn't really bothered by the fact that Starscream had escaped or that the female Decepticon Blackarachnia had been responsible, because he had had a feeling that might happen. From what he'd seen of Starscream so far it was clear he wasn't easy to catch, kill, or contain.. To be perfectly honest, he'd been bothered by the fact that Optimus Prime had looked very upset about Blackarachnia helping the other Decepticon. As if he couldn't believe the female mech would do such a thing. Prowl did not know about Blackarachnia's past life as Elita-1 so he couldn't understand Prime's problem. To him she was just another Decepticon. So why shouldn't she try to free Starscream from the Elie Guard? It made no sense.

_He's hiding something, _the ninja thought, folding his arms and leaning against the trunk of the tree growing in his room. _But what could it be? _

He thought about asking but he got the feeling Optimus might not want to explain it. The ninja bot wasn't the nosy sort, like Bumblebee, so he wasn't going to spy on Optimus until he found out. Prime would explain when he felt like it.

Putting that aside the ninja mech dwelt on another problem. Starscream in general. It was likely that the Elite Guard was right and Starscream would return. After all he too wanted the AllSpark so it would be only natural for him to return. Now for part two of the problem. How to deal with it? Starscream was no pushover. It took a lot of effort to bring that crazy jet down the first time. The only reason he had been brought down was because he'd been distracted by Sentinel and didn't notice Optimus sneaking up behind him. It might work again but with the femmebot also with him it wouldn't be that easy.

"So we can't bring him down that way again," he said to himself, looking up into the branches of the tree. "We will have to think of another way to deal with them. Something they won't even expect."

* * *

Starscream stared at the monitor until his optics started burning then turned his head away from it. He'd been staring at that slagging thing for over an hour and nothing had changed. Well not a full hour. He'd tried to take some breaks but, whenever he'd turn his head to start a conversation that infernal she-spider would tell him to keep his eye on the monitors and his mouth shut. As if she couldn't look at it herself and she should take her own advise. He wasn't the only big mouth in the ship and _he_ didn't talk to himself. He was sick of looking at it and more bored than ever as well as annoyed at her for telling him to shut up. Being bored wouldn't have been all that bad, if the arctic winds with the mean streaks weren't blowing from the pilot's seat.

He glanced over at her again. She was still ignoring him. No matter. She wasn't talking and he was glad. He stared at her a moment, taking in her profile. After a moment she did notice him staring at demanded, not looking at him. "Do you mind?"

"No," he said smiling.

She ground her teeth together, not looking at him as she hissed. "If you don't keep your optics to yourself I will surgically remove them."

He laughed. "I'd like to see you try it."

She turned to him, reaching up and grabbing his neck again. She leaned toward him, her expression a mixture of emotions. "I don't think you want me to do that," she said, her voice low. She smirked. "Now do you?"

He batted her hand away. "Fine," he said.

She moved her hand away and turned back to the controls. He turned his attention back to the monitors.

For a moment there was another silence but it didn't last very long. The mech turned his attention back onto her having nothing else to look at and wanting to have some kind of conversation to make the time go by. He brought up a former topic.

"If I tell you something you don't know about me will you tell me how you became that way?" he asked, trying a new strategy.

She glanced at him, clearly not wanting to talk but not having a choice. It was either have a conversation or be stared at. "I'll tell you how it happened," she began reaching out and poking his spark spark chamber with a clawed finger. "If you tell me why you won't let me have a look in there."

He had not expect that. He didn't want to talk about it. "I am afraid that is impossible," he informed her, batting her hand away.

"Then _I _won't tell you either," she said, not even fazed.

He chose to push it. Maybe she's change her mind if he kept trying. "Ah c'mon, not even a little bit of the story?" he said, leaning toward her again. "Just part of it?"

She looked over at him. He was making that begging face again, the one he used to use often on the Nemesis. It made her giggle. He looked kind of cute when he made that face. A thought came to her just then. Maybe if she played by his rules for a moment she'd get him to tell her something she could use to gain an advantage over him.

Starscream suddenly noticed a change in the she-bot's body language as she turned to face him. "All right," she said, smirking. "Let's _both_ be honest. I'll give you a little bit of the story if you agree to at least give me a little hint about the secret of your spark chamber."

He smiled at her. He could give her a hint, it didn't have to be true but she didn't have to know that. "All right," he said, folding his arms. "I can agree to that. You go first."

She shook her head. "I don't think so," she said.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because _you're_ the one who started this," she replied, smiling disarmingly. "It's only fair if you go first."

"Okay fine," he said, giving in. "Here's the first hint. It's got something to do with an incident I had earlier."

She leaned forward. "And what would that be?" she asked.

He smirked. "Ah no," he said. "It's your turn now."

"Fine," she said. "Organic planets."

"Huh?"

"Something that happened on an organic planet."

"Ah," he said. _Now we're getting somewhere._

"Your turn, flyboy," she said.

"Think of it as an upgrade," he told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked confused by the answer.

Now he leaned forward, still smirking. "I'll leave you to figure that out," he said, looking smug. "Now I believe it's your turn."

"Giant spiders," she replied.

"An incident with giant spiders?" he said. He looked thoughtful. "Interesting."

"I believe it's your turn now," she said, wanting to get off that subject.

"Let's just say AllSpark fragments have their uses," he told her.

She could not even begin to figure out what he meant by that but it didn't matter. It would come to her eventually and maybe, if she tried a little harder, she'd get him to tell her everything. "You know," she said, reaching over and putting her hand on his face. "You can be so mysterious sometimes."

He reached up and grabbed her hand, not taking it away from his face this time but making sure she didn't put it anywhere else. "Aren't we all?" he asked her, grinning.

She leaned forward. "Indeed we are," she agreed.

And just then the monitor started flashing and beeping. They looked up. A message was flashing on the screen. WARNING! WARNING!

"Now what?" Blackarachnia demanded, annoyed at the interruption. She turned from the jet and started tapping out commands.

"What?" he asked, watching her.

Her four optics lit up as her face filled with urgency. "Asteroid belt!" she exclaimed.

Strascream looked out the windshield. A huge a piece of space junk was flying toward them. "Incoming!" he exclaimed.

Blackarachnia instantly grabbed the control stick and yanked it sideways. The ship moved with it and avoided impact. She ground her teeth, kicking herself in the head for letting herself get distracted. _He shouldn't have ever taken his roaming optics off the monitor! _she seethed, yanking on it again to avoid another collision. _and you shouldn't have ever let him distract you! _"This is your fault," she growled, looking over at him.

He stared at her a moment then lost his temper. "How is it _my_ fault?" he demanded.

"If you had kept your optics on the monitor like I told you to we wouldn't have even flown into this," she growled.

"I don't think so," he said. "_You're_ the one at the controls. You're the one who wanted to play a game of "Guess My Secret." If we ran into this it's _your_ fault for being such nosy half breed _and_ a horrible driver!"

"_I'm_ a horrible driver?" she snapped. "I'd like to see you do better!"

"Fine," he retorted. "I will." he reached for the controls.

She yanked them away from him, causing the ship to lurch sideways. "Oh_ no! _I'm not letting you touch these!"

"Then why did you-"

"Forget it," she cut him off. "We're out."

Starscream looked out the windshield. They were in open space again. He folded his arms and glared at her. _Infernal female. _

_Stupid jerk jet, _she thought, focusing all her attention on driving. _Why did he have to start that up? I'm already having a hard enough time concentrating and he's making me lose focus by asking stupid questions and distracting me with that face of his... _her thoughts trailed off. _But then... it wasn't such a bad thing.._

* * *

"So what do you guys plan on doing if Starscream and the bug lady come looking for the AllSpark?" Sari asked Bumblebee as the two stepped out of the Autobot headquarters.

"I don't know," he replied, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at the sky. "Probably fight them off."

"But how?" the girl asked. "No offense but you guys don't seem to do a very good job fighting Decepticons."

He looked down at her. "Hey! Whose side are you on?" he demanded.

"Yours," she replied. "But I'm just saying..."

"Well he just took us by surprise, that's all," he told her. "This time we'll be ready."

"I hope so," Sari said, looking down at her key again. "Because I'd hate to imagine what would happen if you weren't."

Bumblebee sensed something amiss. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down so he was more at her eye level. "Does it have something to do with what happened between you and the spider?"

She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. "That's not it," she said. "Well not all of it. It's just-" she folded her arms and looked away. "I was just thinking. If Starscream and Blackarachnia come after my key or the AllSpark and you capture them maybe they can tell me where my Dad is."

He stared at her, open mouthed. Why hadn't any of them thought of that? It did seem strange that he disappeared after Megatron's defeat but none of them had considered the possibility that the Decepticons might have been responsible.

"Are you going to tell Optimus your suspicions?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she said, rubbing her arm. "I might but how can I even prove it?"

"Whether you can prove it or not it would give us a good excuse to look for the Decepticons," he told her. "and if they did have your father we'd be killing two birds with one stone."

"Well," she said, looking up at him. "It couldn't hurt but I don't think Prime's in the mood to hear this right now. Something tells me that he's got a certain someone on his mind."

"Oh," he said he let that sink in then changed the subject. "Hey do you want to go for a ride?"

"Why?"

"Well I don't want to stand around doing nothing while waiting for those two to come back," he said, standing up and folding his arms. 'That's something Prowl might do but not me." he smiled at her. "I'd rather be doing something. So what do you say?"

"Okay," she agreed.

Bumblebee transformed into car mode and opened his passenger side door. Sari ran to it and hopped in as Bee shut the door behind her. He started his engine and roared off, not even aware of the figure that stepped out of the Autobot base and also left, jumping from roof top to roof top with graceful precision.

* * *

Blitzwing had gone out looking for an AllSpark fragment that the scanners in the Decepticon base had picked up when he noticed something in the sky. Landing on the rooftop of a building he transformed and stared at the object, his left eye zeroing in on the object and enhancing the image. It looked like a ship. "Curious," he said to himself. "Vat vould a ship be doing entering ze atmosphere? It doesn't look like ze ship zat vas here before. So who's is it and vhy is it here at all?"

"Blitzwing," Megatron's voice spoke into his comlink. "What are you doing?"

"I am still searching," he replied, keeping an eye on the ship. "So far I have come across nozing."

"Well keep searching," the Decepticon commander ordered. "I want that fragment found before the Autobots get to it first."

"Yes, sir," he said. "Blitzving out."

When the connection was cut he turned his full attention back on the ship. Something about it didn't feel right. He considered following it and finding out who was driving but he was under orders to find an AllSpark fragment and it was highly unlikely that he'd find one in there.

_I vill keep it in mind, _he thought, going into vehicle mode and flying in the opposite direction. _It might be worth noting, in case it's important. _

* * *

Blitzwing wasn't the only one who had seen the ship. Bumblebee and Sari had also seen it but for a moment they thought it was a shooting star. "Hey look!" Sari exclaimed, pointing at the sky.

Bumblebee stopped and waited for Sari to get out before transforming. He looked up at the star, a curious expression on his face. He squinted and tried to get a better focus on the image. Unlike Blitzwing, his ability to zoom in on far away objects wasn't as advanced so he couldn't be sure what he was looking at. "I don't think that's a shooting star," he told Sari.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I'm not sure," he replied, getting a bad feeling. "But it might be them," He looked down at her. "C'mon. we'd better head back and tell the others."

While Bumblebee and Sari headed back to the warehouse the figure that had left after them also spotted the star. It had a better zoom than Bumblebee did and instantly made out what it was. _So they __**have**__ returned, _it thought, turning from the ship and heading back the way it had come. _A lot sooner than I thought. _

_A/N_

_Why is it that I only get inspiration on the weekends? All well. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: I recently saw Fistful of Energon. I'm surprised about something. A little bit of my guess was actually right!**

Number 4

Blackarachnia landed the ship in a forested area a few miles south of the city of Detroit. Starscream stepped out of the ship and took in the thick forest surrounding them, looking annoyed at the choice of location. "Why did you land us here?" he demanded, turning to glare at her as she stepped out of the ship.

She stopped and folded her arms, leaning her back against the hull of the ship. "Because only an _idiot _would have landed in the city," she replied. "Do you know what would have happened if we had landed there? The Autobots would have been all over us before you could say Primus."

"So?" he asked. "I thought that's what you_ wanted_."

She gave him a correcting look. "No that's _not _what I wanted," she told him. "I have a better idea on how to get that key. I don't want them to come to us. I want to come to them. When they are least expecting it." she pointed at his face, sighting down the fragment glowing on his forehead. "I don't want them to know about it until I have what I want."

"And when do you think they'll least expect it?" he asked, facing her. "The Elite Guard probably told them what happened by now. This won't be easy, you know."

"Since when do you care about easy?" she asked.

"Since I don't feel like being put into stasis lock again," he replied.

"Oh you mean because of these?" she asked, holding something up and jangling them in her hand.

Starscream's optics widened with recognition. He was hoping he'd never see those things again. "How did you get those?" he demanded.

She smiled at him. "I've had them," she replied, tossing the cuffs up and down in her hand. "I figured I'd put the to good use on some Autobots once we got here." she held them with both hands now and walked over to him. "Unless you want me to use them on a certain big mouth."

He stepped back from her, putting up his hands. "Un no need for that," he said, nervously. The last thing he wanted was her to slap those things back on him.

"Then shut up and let me think!" she snapped.

* * *

Bumblebee and Sari arrived back at the warehouse a half hour later. As soon as Sari exited the yellow Autobot he transformed and the two ran into the base to find Prime.

The only bots they found were Ratchet and Bulkhead. "Where's Prime?" Bumblebee asked the old medic.

Ratchet looked up from what he was doing and replied. "He left," he replied. "He said he had something important to do."

"What could possibly be so important?" Bumblebee asked.

"I don't know," Ratchet replied, going back to working on his arm. His old war wound was acting up again. "Why don't you ask him when he comes back?"

Bee sighed and he and Sari stepped out of the room. "I guess you'll just have to wait to tell him," Sari said.

"I guess so," he agreed. "But then again it might not have been them. Maybe it _was_ just a falling star?"

"It was more than that," said a voice.

Bumblebee looked up. "Who's there?" he called out.

"It's just me," Prowl said, stepping out of the shadows.

"What do you want, Prowl?" Bee asked.

The ninja bot folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "I don't want anything from you," he told the yellow mech. "I'm just correcting you about the light you saw earlier. I know that that it was them."

"How do you know?"

Now Prowl did look at him. "Because I saw it too," he replied. "It was the ship. I can recognize the shape of an escape pod easily. Especially one from an Elite Guard ship." he looked away again. "They've returned and it won't be long before they come here."

"So what do you suggest we do, Prowl?" Bumblebee asked. "Go out and find them? I don't know about you but this bot's not going to go Decepticon hunting if he doesn't have to."

"I never said _you_ had to," Prowl replied, looking back at him.

"You weren't?"

"I was referring to myself," Prowl told him, his expression the most serious Bumblebee had seen in a long time. "I believe I know what to do about this."

"What are you saying?" Sari wanted to know.

He looked down at the little girl. "I am going to look for them."

"What?" Bumblebee explained in disbelief. "You _can't _go after them by _yourself_!"

"That is of no concern to you," Prowl told him. He pointed at the yellow mech. "When Optimus returns and if he asks where I am tell him I went out to do something but I'll return as soon as I'm done."

"Okay, I guess, but-"

Before he could utter another word, Prowl was gone.

* * *

Starsscream listened to Blackarachnia try to lay out a plan to him, watching her toss those stasis cuffs up and down in her hand. He did not like the fact that she had kept them but he couldn't do anything about it right then. He'd wait for his chance to take them away from her but for now he'd play her game and try his best to pay attention to what she was saying.

"Okay so here's what I was thinking we could do," she said, leaning against the side of the ship and tossing the cuff. "The human girl is always hanging around with the other Autobots all the time so trying to kidnap her is out of the question."

"So what do you plan on doing?" he asked her. "You can't kidnap her and you don't want to fight the Autobot's to get the key. So far this doesn't seem like you had it planned out."

She shot him a glare. "That's why I have you," she said. "I figured you could use that fine processor of yours to come up with something that doesn't involve attacking Autobot's for no reason."

"No reason?" he demanded. 'They arrested me! I feel I am justified to attack them!"

"So you can end up in another pair of these?" she asked, shoving the cuffs into his face.

He pushed her hand side. "Get those things out of my face!" he ordered. "I won't be so careless this time."

She stepped back. "You always say that and then you wind up doing the same things over and over," she told him. "Do you even learn from your mistakes?"

"Of _course _I learn from my mistakes," he shot back. "I didn't keep trying to get rid of Megatron the same way, you know. I tried something new and this-" he grabbed the cuffs from her hand and shook them in her face angrily. 'This is what wound up happening!" he gave her a look. "But of course you already know that part."

Indeed she did. "You see what I mean?" she asked.

"But it wasn't my_ fault_!" he shouted. "_They_ came at _me_ not the other way around! All I wanted to do was leave and-"

"If I recall correctly, you shot Ultra Magnus _first_," she pointed out.

He looked away, poking his two index fingers against each other. Caught. "Well they would have attacked me anyway," he said feebly.

"Right," she said, smirking. "and the Autobots would have kicked you while you were down as well." then she laughed.

He glared at her. "And _I _could have flown off by now and left you here-"

"So why didn't you?"

He threw the cuffs back at her. She caught them easily. "Let's just say I gain more from having backup then going off by myself."

"Yeah, I'll back you up all right," she muttered. "I'll back your back right into a tree..." she shook her head, scattering the thought. Where did that come from all of a sudden?

"So let's go back to square one, shall we?" Starscream asked, leaning against the ship. "The Autobots human friend has a key and you want the key. You need me to help you get that key but you don't want to attack them to get it because you think they'd be able to defeat us." he snorted at the thought. He'd taken out all five of those Autobot's by himself already. "So how exactly do you plan on having us do this?"

Blackarachnia sighed, relieved that Starscream had gotten her back on her former train of thought. "All right," she said. "I don't exactly have the whole thing planned out at the moment so let's both think of something that would be satisfactory to both of us."

"And _if _it involves attacking the Autobot's directly?" he asked her.

She glared at him, not liking his smile. "We'll cross that space bridge when we come to it," she said.

* * *

Blitzwing, having not found a single fragment, finally returned to the Decepticons hidden base. He knew Megatron wouldn't be happy with his report but that was the least of his worries. Something was bothering him though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He glanced up at the sky before heading inside, his mind going back to the memory of the ship he'd spotted. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much but something told him it was important.

As he stepped into the base he weighed telling Megatron about it and decided not to. If it turned out to be something to worry about he'd deal with it himself. There was no need to bother Megatron with it. The Decepticon commander had other, more important, things to worry about. The triple changer would soon find out that Megatron was already one step ahead of him in that matter.

"Megatron," Blitzwing said, stepping into the darkened control room, totally ignoring the glassed in area to his left that housed Sari's father, Professor Issac Sumdac. "I regret too say zat I vas unable to find the source of zat signal."

Megatron looked over at the triple changer. Blitzwing's head currently sported his icy blue face. The most calm of his three personalities and the most sane as well as the most intelligent. "Didn't I tell you not to come back until you found something?" he asked him, sounding angry.

"Sir," Blitzwing began, holding up his hands in a helpless gesture. "I looked everywhere for ze source. I could not find a single fragment." his face then switched over to Random. His most insane personality. He help up something. A giant metal sign or some sort. _**"Except zis shiny green billboard with ze happy dancing toothbrush!" **_

Megatron gave the triple changer a hard look. The face returned to Cold. "Aside from zat I found nothing."

The gray Decepticon turned from him. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong places," he said. "and maybe we should be worrying about something else. Something more important."

"Vat do you mean?" Blitzwing asked, confused.

Megatron smiled, his optics on the bases computer screen. "If you had been here earlier you would have overheard a very interesting conversation."

"About vat?"

"It seems our old friend Starscream has escaped from the Elite Guard," Megatron explained. "and he's coming back here."

Blitzwings face changed from Cold to Angry, the red face and the most hot headed of his three personalities. "**Say ze vord and I vill crush him**!" he exclaimed.

"Let's not be hasty," Megatron said, putting out his arm to keep the unpredictable triple changer in line. "A plan is already in motion."

Blitzwing's face returned to Cold. "And vat is zat?"

The Decepticon commander. "I've already sent somebody you know to go after them."

"Zem?"

"Oh yes I forgot to tell you," Megatron said. Megatron leaned against the console and touched his fingers together. "It seems our little halfling decided to spring him. Now not only is the traitor loose but_ she's _the one responsible."

Blitwing's face changed to Angry again. "**I knew it vas a bad idea to let her join us in the first place**!" he shouted. He smacked his fist against his palm. "**Let me at zem! I vill pound zem both into slag**!"

"No," his Superior said firmly. He smiled cunningly. "I've got something _else_ in mind for our traitorous pair."

* * *

"Ratchet, I need to borrow the EMP." the sound of a voice behind him made the medic jump and turn around, holding up his giant magnets in a defensive position. When he saw it was only the ninja Autobot Prowl he sighed with relief. "I wish you wouldn't do that, Prowl." he said.

"Sorry," the other mech said.

Rarchet turned from him and went back to working on damage to his let arm. His war wound was still acting up. "Now what was it that you wanted again?" he asked.

"I need to borrow the EMP," Prowl said repeated himself.

Ratchet looked at him searchingly. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the message we received from the Elite Guard would it?" he asked.

Prowl wouldn't look at him. "Well," he said, looking embarressed. "You could say that."

The medic made a face. "You're not thinking of going after those two by yourself are you?"

"Why not?"

"For one thing that would be a foolish thing to do and for another they would have to be here to do it and-" Ratchet stopped, the look on his face changing. He quickly figured it out. "They've returned haven't they?"

Prowl nodded.

"So _that's_ what Bumblebee and Sari wanted to tell Prime," the medic frowned. "You know Starscream is dangerous by himself. If he and the spider are working together it won't make things any easier."

'That's why I want to use the EMP," Prowl told him. "If I can use it on those two-"

"No can do, kid," Ratchet cut him off, putting up a hand. "We don't need you running off and getting killed. You can only use the EMP on one person at a time and it takes awhile to recharge it after it's used."

"That's not true," Prowl said. "Lockdown was able to use it constantly-"

"_Lockdown_ also didn't know how to use it properly and could have killed somebody with it," the medic cut him off again. "The answer is no and that's final."

"Fine, fine," Prowl said, putting up his hands. "I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice."

"What do you-" that's as far as Ratchet got with his sentence. The next instant a bit black foot contacted with his face and knocked him over. A colorful star burst filled his vison and seconds before he blacked out he felt somebody yanking something off his arm.

* * *

For a moment Prowl stood there staring at Ratchet's unconscious form on the stone floor of their base. He had not wanted to do that but Ratchet had given him no choice. He needed the EMP to get this done and he didn't need anybody else to know about it. "I'm sorry," he said, attaching the device to his own arm. "But you gave me no choice and this is something I _have_ to do on my own."

He heard the big double doors opening and looked over his shoulder. Somebody was coming. Quickly he vanished into the shadows of the darkened base and jumped out the side window before anyone could see him.

* * *

Prime had returned from his walk feeling no better. Though he hadn't really had anything important to do he wasn't about to tell the others that. He'd let them think he was off doing something worthwhile. All he could think about was Elita-1 now Blackarachnia helping Starscream escape from the Elite Guard. Though he kept telling himself that she was a Decepticon now and thus saving her comrade could be justified he did not feel that way at all. He still thought that maybe some of her old self was still there but... after all this time..

_Who am I kidding? _he thought, shaking his head. _She's not herself anymore. She's a whole different person now. I should just give up on her. It's not like she'll- _all thoughts of the femme vanished when he spotted Ratchet lying on the floor.

"Ratchet!" he exclaimed, running over to the Autobot medic and helping him into a sitting position. He smacked the older bot's face, trying to rouse him.

Ratchet groaned and light returned to his optics. "Prime?" he said.

"What happened?" Optimus asked worriedly. "Was it a Decepticon?"

"No," the medic repleid, sitting up on his own, and putting his hand on his head. "It was Prowl."

"What?!" Prime exclaimed, shocked that Prowl would do such a thing. "Why would Prowl do something like this?"

"He didn't want you to know this but he wanted to go after Starscream and Blackarachnia on his own," Ratchet replied.

"By himself!? What gave him that idea? Doesn't he know that that's the worst thing to do?!"

Ratchet could only shake his head. "He's going to find out for himself soon enough."

"I'm going after him," Prime said immediately on his feet again.

The old medic grabbed his leg. "No, Prime," he said.

Optimus looked down at him. "Why not?"

"Because this is something he feels he must deal with himself," he explained. Ratchet got back up and looked the younger mech in the eyes. "I'm not sure why Prowl feels he must go after them by himself but he must have a good reason. This might end up being the most foolish thing he has ever done but if it is, it's best to let him figure it out for himself than to tell him."

The younger mech decided to trust the old vetran. "I hope you're right," Prime said but he didn't feel any better.

* * *

"So what do you plan on doing in the meantime?" Starscream wanted to know. "I mean we can't just sit around here doing nothing. We could search for AllSpark fragments until you come up with something."

"We could," she agreed. "But the chances of us running into Autobots are pretty high if we do such a thing."

Starscream shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" he asked. "We might just get lucky and not even need a backup plan to get that key." he smiled at her knowingly. "Especially if that human is with them."

He was right about that and she knew it. "If it happens that way it happens," she said, shrugging. "and we'll do it your way."

He gave her a satisfied look. Finally he was going to have something go his way. _Just you wait, Autobots. You'll pay for what you did to me same with you Megatron. _He looked up at the sky. _I'll enjoy defeating you both. _

"One more thing," Blackarachnia said after a moment.

"What?" Starscream asked, looking back at her.

She tossed the cuffs up and down in her hands. She asked. "If I hadn't of been there would you have been able to get out of these on your own?"

He gave her a confused look. She was bringing up that subject again? "What makes you ask that all of a sudden?" he wanted to know.

She shrugged and caught them. "I'm just curious."

"Well," he said taking them from her and looking at them carefully. A smile slowly crept on his face as the All-Spark fragment on his forehead lit up. "Yes, yes I could have."

"How do you know that?" she asked, her face full of curiosity. _Go ahead and say it_.

He looked back at her. "Let's just said," he said twirling them on his index finger. "I know how to pick locks."

"Really?" she asked. She reached out and took them back. "Why don't we test that out then?"

"What?" Before he could protest she grabbed his arms and slapped them back on his wrists. He stared at her in shock for a moment then shouted angrily. "Why you no good widow! You tricked me!"

She folded her arms and smirked, taking a step back. "Don't blame me," she said. "_You're_ the one who was bragging. Now let's see you try."

He glared at her. "When I get out of these you're going to regret this," he snapped, yanking on them.

"Less talk and more escape," she shot back. "If you can do it this could prove useful."

He stopped. "How?"

She smiled, showing her fangs. "It'll help us both from staying that way."

Ah so she did have another reason besides being a smart aleck. "So that's it," he said. "Well who am I do deny you such a pleasure? For a moment I thought you might have had some _other _reason for this."

He was being sarcastic and she didn't appreciate it. She stepped toward him again and yanked his arms down so he leaned toward her. "I hope you don't think that's funny because it isn't," she growled. "Just get this done so we can leave."

"He smiled at her. "My pleasure," he said. The next instant he snapped them onto her wrists. "But just remember, _you_ started it."

She looked down at her wrists as he started laughing. She looked up at him angrily. Her leg came from somewhere he wasn't expecting and the next instant he was on the ground withering in pain. "That's what you get for thinking you can outsmart a widow," she said, looking down at him.

"Cheap shotter!" he shouted.

"Cheap shotter yourself," she shot back. "Now get these off me or I won't be so gentle next time!"

He winced when she raised her leg again. "Fine," he conceded.

She smirked at him. "Now that wasn't so hard was it?" she asked.

Her only response was a hateful glare.

_A/N_

_Having seen Fistful Of Energon I decided I will still continue this story if you want me to. I'm not sure what other people call Blitzwing's three personalities but I call them Cold, Angry, and Random. Yeah Random is the most used for the crazy face and it fits as for the other two... well I'll just keep calling them what I call them. Also I apologize for any OOCness at any part in this chapter and for the fact that near the end my mind started going into Gutterland. I'll try not to let that happen again. _


	5. Chapter 5

NUMBER 5 THE CALL AND THE REWARD

_Two hours before..._

Earlier that day, before Blitzwing had returned to the base to make his report, at the Decepticon's hidden base the giant computer screen blinked an alert of an incoming message. Megatron pressed some buttons and the screen filled with a face. "Megatron," said a smooth sounding voice. "It's been awhile since you've been in need of my services."

"Ah so you have recieved my message," Megatron said to the figure on the computer screen.

The person on the screen smiled at him. "So it seems your second in command finally did it huh?" he asked, sounding a bit mocking. "I always knew he was trouble."

Megatron was in no mood to be taunted about his bad choice of ranking. "Enough of that," he said, changing the subject. "I assure you it won't happen again."

"Right," the other person said sarcastically. The gray mech shot him a testy look. "Oh sorry."

"Sadly capturing him won't be easy," Megatron said after a moment. "and he's isn't alone either."

The caller looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"The spider is with him."

The person on the screen grinned at him. "Well as I always say two is better than one," he said. "I hope you're planning on paying extra for the capture of them both, otherwise this won't be worth my time and skill."

"We'll discuss _that _after you've captured those two traitors and brought them to me," The Decepticon Commander said testily.

"Ah don't be that way. We go way back remember?"

"Don't bring up ancient history." Megatron ordered starting to feel impatient. "As I recall you couldn't even capture the last two I sent you after."

The person gave him a look, not seeming to like the fact that the Decepticon had brought that up. "Point taken." then he asked. "So when do you want me to bring them in for you?"

"As soon as possible."

"You're one impatient bot, you know that? Well I'm sure I can do that."

"See that you_ do_."

* * *

_Two hours later_

Prowl wasn't exactly sure where the Decepticon pair had landed their stolen ship but he had a pretty good guess. He knew they couldn't risk landing the ship in the city because they would be spotted easily by more than just the humans so they would have to find some place else to land it. That only left the surrounding areas of forests and fields. Hopefully they hadn't landed on the Dinobot's island.

_That's unlikely unless they don't know the Dinobots are there. _The mental image of the Dinobots chasing after the two Decepticons was quite amusing and he smiled at the image. _But that wouldn't be too bad. _

He jumped down from the roof of the building he'd been perching on and looked around himself. He was suddenly overcome with a really bad feeling. He looked over his shoulder, half expecting to see somebody standing behind him. He saw no one. He sighed. _Easy Prowl, _he thought. _You're expecting to run into Decepticons so you think you're feeling them watching you. You know they can't be in the city, not this early. They're probably still in or near their ship. All you have to do is find it. _

He transformed into vehicle mode and sped onto the road. Traffic was light because of the late hour so before long he was out of the city limits and out in open ground, with the forest looming miles ahead of him and moonlit fields surrounding him for miles.

* * *

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Starscream asked a half hour after he'd gotten over the kick to his coils and had freed the femme from the cuffs. At the moment the manicles were in the pod, away from either transformer's grasp. Blackarachnia had thrown them in there, out of anger, after Starscream had freed her.

"Will you stop asking me that?!" she snapped, still not really in a mood to talk to him after the dirty trick he'd played.

"I will when you answer me."

"Okay here's what we're going to do. Until it gets light out we'll recharge and then when the sun comes up we'll get out of this forest and head into the city, quietly."

"How can we do that? I mean with your alternate mode it would be a little obvious, don't you think?"

Blackarachnia gave him a look so cold it could have frozen the sun. "Do you not think I am _aware_ of this?" she demanded.

Starscream smiled at her and shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Do you know this?"

She growled and threw up her hands in frustration. "You're really trying my patience!"

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"I could tie you up and gag you with something you can't escape from!"

The seeker made a face. "Ew! You keep your disgusting organic components to yourself."

"Then stop ticking me off."

"Why? It's fun."

Blackarachnia sighed. Why did she even bother? "Just forget it," she said, turning her back to him. She took a few steps away from him and the ship and jumped up, vanishing into the trees.

Starscream stared at the empty spot where she'd been standing a moment before, his optics wide. "Hey!" he called after her. "Where are you going?! Get back here! You can't leave me like that!"

"Oh keep your chest plate on!" she called down to him from somewhere above. "I won't be long!"

"Where are you going?" when he got no answer he called out. "Hey!" then charged into the trees in pursuit. "What's with you? Don't go running off like that! Get back here you no good-" he slammed into a tree that seemed to suddenly appear in front of him and stepped back a hand over his face. "Ow!"

And then he heard the laughter. "Nice going, Starscream! Next time look in front of you when run through a thick forested area!"

First she ran off and didn't tell him where she was going and _now_ she was laughing at him. "It's_ your _fault!" he shouted into the trees. "Why did you have to run off-"

And just like that she was right in front of him. He gasped and stepped back. "Don't _do_ that!" he shouted.

"Sorry," she said, though her tone said she wasn't.

"Now why don't you tell me why you ran off like that?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't really important," she told him. "I just wanted to see what I could see."

"If you had wanted to see what you could see I could have looked for you," he told her. "I am a jet you know."

She gave him a look. "and how could I have been sure you wouldn't fly off on me?"

Now it was his turn to smile. "You wouldn't."

She clenched a fist as if to slug him. "Ah ah ah," he said, putting up a hand and wagging a finger at her. "There's no need for that. So what did you see?"

"Aside from the tops of trees, nothing," she replied and looked embarrassed. "I think I might have landed in the most remote area of the forest."

He took the news with not much of a reaction. "Is _that _it?" he asked. "It's no big deal since I can fly."

"Well I _can't_," she reminded him.

He made a face. "Ah well that's too bad." his smile got bigger. "I guess that means you'll have to stay here."

She almost said something to that but stopped herself. Instead she relaxed her stance and folded her arms, leaning her weight on her left hip, thinking of a more affective solution to her problem.. "Unless," she began. "I can get a ride.."

"How do you plan on getting that?" he asked her. He cocked his thumb over his shoulder, in the direction they hand landed the pod. "Are you going to fly that thing back there out of here?"

She unfolded her arms and stepped toward him. "I wasn't talking about the ship," she told him. She put out her hand and rested it on his chest. "I was talking about something else." she pressed closer. "Somebody who looks like he's strong enough to carry a helpless female bot with him."

She was doing it again. He grabbed her hand and pulled it away from himself. He did not need her putting her tendrils on him. "You are _far _from helpless," he told her, not really in the mood for her games.

She wasn't about to be denied. She'd played this game long enough to know if she kept it up the other would eventually give her what she wanted. It almost always worked. She pressed closer, invading his space even more. He took a step back and would have gone further than that if his back hadn't of bumped into a tree.

Now he was in a fix. He couldn't back up and with her in front of him he could run, especially since she was leaning her weight toward him and he wouldn't be able to shove her away very easily. Curvy and delicate looking as she may be she wasn't easy to move once she got in your way. Plus she knew marshal arts and she might kick him again if he tried. "And you're far from a gentleman," she said, her voice lowering to a purr.

That he never claimed to be or become. he preferred being a selfish jerk. But with her pressing her body against his it was hard to keep it up. He could feel the heat from her body against his, her very presence making him nervous as she leaned herself forward even more, closing the distance between her face and his own. He put up his other hand and tried to push her away. He didn't want her trying anything else. "Now Blackarachnia, let's not get too hasty," he said, nervously. "We really don't need to-"

"Now you really don't want me to stop here do you?" she asked, her mouth very close to his own. "Because this might be your only chance..."

He did not want to get into this, especially with tree bark scraping against his back. "If I agree to carry you will you get away from me?" he asked, turning his head away.

She frowned at him then sighed. "Yes, I will," she said and moved back.

When she was a safe distance away he moved away from the tree, glad that he'd avoided an uncomfortable situation. She looked over her shoulder and smirked at him. "I only did it to get you to agree to carry me anyway," she said.

He was not amused. "There are _other_ ways you could have accomplished that," he told her.

"I know," she agreed. "But this way was most affective."

* * *

It was almost drawn and the sky was beginning to show the first signs of the new day. Prowl braked to a stop and transformed, stopping long enough watch the sun rise over the mountains. The rays of the sun turned the sky pink then it faded out to blue as the giant ball of flame rose higher. Usually a sight like that would make the ninja bot feel peaceful and relieved but it did nothing this time. He was too focused on his mission to give it much of a thought. _I'm spoiling this. It's best if I don't think about it too much until my job is finished. Then I can go back to enjoying the sunrise again. _He went back into vehicle mode and resumed.

He still had a few more miles to cover before he reached the forest. After a full nights search of the fields and flat lands it was the last place to look. If he did not find them there he had no idea where else to look. _Unless they decide to head into the city, _he told himself. _For all I know I could have missed them and the only thing I'll find is an empty escape pod._

* * *

Blitzwing didn't feel like spending anymore time at the base. Though he did not like to disobey orders he'd argued with himself about the issue all night and eventually he decided to go out and search for the traitors on his own. Plus Lugnut was getting to be annoying and even Megatron would have to agree with that. If Megatorn asked where he was he'd just say he needed to get away from a certain aft kisser.

He knew the bounty hunter Megatron had hired was perfectly capable of getting the job done but Random couldn't help but jump at the chance at seeing Blackarachnia getting her half organic rear beaten. Seeing Starsceram beaten was a plus, though it wasn't as entertaining.

_Who knows, _he thought, flying over the fields and forested area around the base. _If I run into him maybe he vill let me help him. _Yeah like that was going to happen. He liked to work alone but maybe he would remember Blitzwing. He had promised him upgrades after all.

That wasn't going to happen. Maybe, if he ran into the bounty hunter, he wouldn't even bother talking to him, he'd just follow him and take both the traitors out himself and save Megatron the trouble of paying the bounty hunter for work he didn't do.

_**Plus he might let me tap dance on their heads before he hauls them in! HAHAHAHAAAA! **_Blitzwing's thrusters fired up and he shot across the sky, laughing madly at the thought.

* * *

Starscream stepped out of the escape pod and shielded his optics against the sun. After his and Blackarachnia's deal last night they'd both gone back to the ship for a recharge. He was feeling a little better now but dredded the task ahead of him. He never liked carrying extra weight when he flew and he didn't even know how much the femme would add or if he would ever get off the ground with her clinging to him. Plus she disgusted him in more ways than one.

"It's about _time_ you got up," said a voice to his right.

He turned his head and spotted Blackarachnia leaning against the side of the ship, her arms folded and her face expressing impatience. "Well sorry," he said sarcastically. "If you wanted me to wake up you should have _said_ something."

She was in no mood for arguments. She unfolded her arms and pushed herself from the ship, turning her body toward him and closed the distance easily. He took a slight step back, not liking her invading his space, which she tended to do pretty often. It almost felt like she _liked_ to take great pleasure in making him uncomfortable. "I _would_ have," she said, smiling. "But you looked so cute lying there with your mouth hanging open and dripping mech fluid on yourself."

He put up a hand and pushed her back. "I find your sarcasm appalling," he told her. (OOC statement I know XP)

"And I find your **snoring** annoying," she retorted.

"I do_ not _snore!" he shot back, indignant.

"_Yes _you do, like a trash compactor set on high." she imitated the noise. To have her imitated it it sounded like a buzzsaw on the fritz. "Like that!"

He smirked at her. "I think you're hearing yourself."

"You can't hear yourself snore if you're sleeping, idiot," she retorted.

"Well maybe you snored so loud you woke yourself up," he suggested, grinning like the mad hatter. "Lugnut's done that a few times."

She gave him a look. "Are you lubbing me in with Lugnut?" she asked, folding her arms.

"I don't know," he said, his expression changing to a teasing one. "am I?"

The two looked at each other a moment then burst out laughing. When they calmed down Blackarachnia said. "I think we'd better get going now."

Starscream was more than ready, but he still didn't like the idea of carrying her. She looked at him impatiently for a moment then he gave up. "All right," he said, putting out his hand. "Get over here."

She swaggered over to him and let him take her in his arms. She was surprisingly light. Once he had her situated he activated the thrusters in his feet and lifted off the ground, shooting out and above the forest then toward the city miles away. "If you kick me or move around too much I'll drop you," he told her.

She gave him a look, if only to keep from having to look down. "Now why would I want to do something like that?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck for a better hold.

He ignored her and her arms and concentrated on flying, though it was difficult with her holding onto him like that."Just be happy I agreed to this in the first place," he told her.

She gave him a smile that made him uncomfortable. "You didn't really have a choice," she purred.

He frowned at her. "I could drop you right now, you know," he said.

Her hold around his neck tightened. "Not with me holding onto you like this you can't," she said, leaning her face closer. "You know, it's kind of romantic."

He made a face. "Save it for the Autobots," he told her.

She pouted. "Ah, you're not fun."

* * *

Sentinel was feeling impatient. Since he'd returned to Cybertron he was acting skitish. Jazz, who'd been repaired and was online by then, kept giving him looks. "What's got you circuits crossed, man?" the white Autobot asked.

Sentinel made a weird face. "Oh, nothing, nothing," he said, waving the other mech off. "It's nothing. Who said my circuits were crossed? I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I mean it."

Jazz stared at him. "All right," he said. "If you say so." he pushed himself away from the hull of the ship. "Since there's really nothing to do here I think I'll pay my one friends here a visit."

"But Ultra Magnus said we were supposed to stay here," Sentinel protested.

Jazz looked back at him. "No offense, Sentinel, man,but you're making me nervous and if I don't get away from you for awhile I'm going to lose it."

Sentinel began to protest but Jazz held up a hand to silence him. "Now don't get like that," he said. "I won't be gone long." he went into vehicle mode and started his engine. "Why don't you do something until he gets back? Like visit some friends or something?" then he road off down the streets of Iacon.

"Cuz I have no friends to visit," Sentinel muttered, watching him go. "And I have other things to worry about." He stepped back into the ship and turned on one of the monitors. He scroll through the recordings of the whole incident with Starscream's breakout and the battle and froze it on a close up of Blackarachnia. He leaned toward the screen, studying the image. "What happened to you, Elita?" he asked out loud. "How did you end up like that?"

* * *

Prowl's guess had proved right. He found the abandoned escape pod hours after the two Decepticons had taken to the sky and headed toward Detroit. He inspected the ship, turning on the power and hacking into the communications to see if the two had contacted their allies on the planet. He found nothing that could prove that. _Does that mean they hadn't? _he turned off the power and stepped out of the ship, stopping just a few feet away from it once he was back in the forest. He folded his arms and rested his chin in his hand, thinking hard. _If they didn't contact anyone that means that neither side is supposed to know they've returned. That could also mean that Megatron is somebody they're trying to avoid. As if they don't want any kind of contact with him. That might explain a few things. _He looked around himself. "And since they're not here that means they must have headed to the city." He sighed. "I knew it."

"Oh so they're not here," said a voice behind him. 'That's too bad. I thought this was going to be easy."

Prowl froze for a moment at the sound of the voice then turned around quickly. "It's you!" he exclaimed.

_A/N_

_All of a sudden I have a bad case of writer's block. I got some ideas for a little later but until then I'm stumped. Certain characters are a bit harder to keep in character than others. Other characters are more open to creativity so I use that to my advantage at some points. Since watching the episode Black Friday I discovered that Blackarachnia is more seductive than I thought she was at first and this gives me liberty to play around with the quality a little better. Plus it's fun. I feel bad for Starscream though. He doesn't seem to like being flirted with that much plus my mind likes to go to Gutterland when I'm left with those two alone. Next chapter I'll try to add some encounters with opposition and I'll finally introduce the person Megatron was talking to as well, though you all probably already know who it is.._


	6. Chapter 6

NUMBER 6 THE HUNT

"Ah Prowl," said the voice, sounding amused. "I'm surprised you remember me."

"I could never forget the person who used the EMP on me," Prowl shot back, facing the other transformer directly. "Lockdown."

The unfractioned bounty hunter stepped out of the shadows. "You remembered my name too," he said. "I am touched."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the bounty hunter replied, walking forward. "But I'm on a schedule so I won't." Prowl tensed and changed his stance. Lockdown stopped and stared down his nose at him. "I'm not here for _you_, Prowl," he said. "I just want to take a look inside that escape pod."

"You won't find anything," the ninja said. "They're not here and they didn't contact anybody."

"I'll be the judge of that." the bounty hunter said.

Prowl wouldn't let him pass. "You didn't answer my question," he said. "_Why_ are you here?"

"What does it_ look _like?" Lockdown asked, getting impatient. "I'm after two fugitives." He poked Prowl's chestplate with his hooked right hand. "and by the looks of it you're doing the same thing." he looked around himself, as if expecting to see more than just Prowl. "So where are the other Autobots? They're not hiding in the bushes are they?"

Prowl ground his teeth together. 'They're not here," he said.

"Oh," Lockdown said straightening up. "So you came out here alone. Not a wise thing to do."

"I could say the same to you."

The bounty hunter laughed. "You _must_ be joking," he said. "I can take care of myself. I've been doing this sort of thing longer than you've been online, Prowl. Plus I've already taken you and your friends out all in the same night by myself. I don't have anything to worry about." he looked down at Prowl. "_You_ on the other hand..."

Prowl sensed the blow coming even before Lockdown's fist came at him. He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit. The hunter's fist buried itself into the ground. He grunted and pulled it out, turning around just in time to get Prowl's front end tire implanted in his face.

Lockdown grunted and took a step back, putting up his hand to push Prowl away. The ninja bot landed on the ground in vehicle mode and quickly changed back into robot mode, pulling out two metal throwing stars and pouncing at the bounty hunter.

Lockdown was ready this time. His right hand changed from a hand to a giant chainsaw and he raised it just as Prowl's body smashed into him. The ninja bot yelped in pain as the blades cut into his chest plating. He quickly pushed himself off the hunter and landed a short distance away, his hand on his wound. He could feel mech fluid seeping through his fingers and he ground his teeth, glaring at the hunter who was just getting up. "Now don't look at me like that," he said. "I never would have had to do that if you hadn't gotten in my way."

Prowl didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. He took a few more steps back, as if he was stepping down, then lunged at the hunter once more. Lockdown was taken totally by surprise. As Prowl flew at him, the ninja's left arm seemed to grow some kind of upgrade. He aimed it at the hunter and fired. The hunter's fast reflexes pulled him out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by an EMP blast.

He crouched on the ground, his optics focusing on the item. "So," he said. "the Emp. Now how did you get such a handy piece of equiptment? I doubt that old codger would hand it out willingly."

Prowl glared at him. "It's none of your business how I got it," he told him, still aiming that thing at the other mech. He tried to fire it again but Lockdown's foot shot up and kicked him in the stomach.

The ninja grunted and flew backward until his back slammed into a tree. He looked up and saw Lockdown coming toward him. He quickly raised his arm but the bounty hunter grabbed it and yanked it back and around the trunk of the tree. Prowl ground his teeth and glared at the hunter whose face was only inches from his own. "I'm not sure what this is about," he said. "and I don't want to know but if you're going to start picking fights for no reason I suggest you do it to somebody you know you can beat."

Prowl squirmed against his hold. "_You_ attacked_ me _first," he pointed out.

"Fair enough," Lockdown said, letting his arm go and moving away. "You're lucky I'm not after you, otherwise this contest would be over and I'd be taking that little holoprojector you've got nestled in your chest plating."

Prowl stood up, his hand grasping his damaged arm. Mech fluid was still leaking from the damage to his chest but not as much and it didn't feel serious. "So you're after Starscream and Blackarachnia as well," he said. "Who paid you to do that? Megatron?"

"That is none of your concern, Prowl," Lockdown said. "So why are you out here poking your nose around? Did the Elite Guard order you to capture them too?"

Prowl didn't answer but it was answer enough. "You're not supposed to be searching for them on your own, are you?" the bounty hunter turned from t he Autobot and leaned into the ship, putting his hands against the sides of the entrance to balance himself. "It doesn't matter much to me. If you get in my way again I'll just take you out again."

Prowl didn't feel like fighting the hunter again, not with the damage he's sustained. "You still won't find anything," he told Lockdown. 'There's nothing in there. I already looked."

The bounty hunter ignored him, searching the interior of the little pod for himself. He exited a few minutes later. "You know I-" he stopped when he found himself alone. "Why that little sneak."

* * *

Prowl had taken advantage of Lockdown's preoccupation to make his get away and continue his search. He knew if he had stayed the bounty hunter would have tried to interrogate him and he couldn't have that, plus he had the sneaking suspicion Megatron had paid the hunter to capture the two renegade Decepticons. He had to get to them first. If Lockdown did the Autobots might as well say good bye to ever getting any information about Megatron from the two.

* * *

Starscream touched down in a deserted area of the city, unceremoniously dumping his passenger onto the ground. "Hey!" she shouted at him from the pavement.

He didn't apologize.

She got up indignantly and put her hands on her hips. "What the slag did you do that for?" she demanded.

He turned back to her, his expression that of one who was ticked off about something. "Now that we're no longer in the forest let me lay down a few things. First we're going to do this my way. Second I don't want anymore of your flirting. It won't work on me so stop trying and another thing-"

She turned her back on him and started walking away before he could go any further.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. "Don't ignore me like that!"

"Honestly Starscream," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. "I don't have time for your boring monologue. And if you had a problem with the way I work you should have said something soon." she smirked. "For a moment I thought you were actually _liked _it, big boy."

"Don't call me big boy!" he shouted.

She giggled. "You're face is turning red."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "No it's not! We're robots! We don't blush!"

"Tell that to your face then."

Starscream sighed and made a face. He could just never win with her. "Let's just go," he said.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, suddenly stiffening.

"What?" he asked, annoyed. _What is it now? _He didn't have time for this. "Blackarachnia, if you're-" he didn't get to finish his sentence because suddenly she turned around and tackled him to the ground.

They hit the pavement with a metallic crash, sending dust into the air in little clouds. "What in Primus name is wrong with you?" he demanded, putting his hand on her head and shoving her away. "Get off me! What do I look like? A-"

_**"I zink you look like a cuddly teddy bear lying on the ground like zat!" **_a voice exclaimed then was followed maniacal laughter.

Starscream recognized that laugh. "Blitzwing," he exclaimed and then noticed the ice on the ground where he'd been standing only moment ago. That's why she had tackled him. She didn't want want him to get hit by it.

Blackarachnia was on her feet again. She glared up at Blitzwing who was hovering in the air above them, his Random personality currently controlling his body. The insane side of Blitzwing grinned down at them, a crazy light in his red optics. "Get out of here, Blitzwing!" she shouted at him. "This has nothing to do with you."

"No?" Blitzwing's face changed to his cold personality. "Oh, but it does. As long as you are helping out a traitor you are just as much an enemy as he is." the two gun barrels lowered over his shoulders. "Vitch means you must be dealt wiz the exact same vay." Then he fired.

Blackarachnia stood rooted to the spot for a moment then a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. She fell back and smacked into Starscream's chest. She looked up at him. "I think we'd better get out of here," he said, turning to run.

Blackarachnia found herself being drug along because Starscream still had a firm grip on her arm.

Blitzwing's face changed again. This time to his Hot headed personality. "**GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDS, OR I VILL CRUSH YOU INTO SHEET METAL!" **he roared, giving chase.

* * *

Prowl heard the sounds of chaos and headed in the direction to investigate. He had a feeling that the noise would lead him to who he was looking for and a few minutes later he found out that he was right. Starscream and Blackarachnia ran right by him without even noticing. He quickly transformed and would have chased after them if he hadn't had to jump out of the way when Blitzwing fired on him.

"_**Watch your step! If you're not careful you'll get a real hot foot! HAHAHAHA!" **_Blitzwing cackled temporarily distracted by the sudden appearance of an Autobot. Prowl wound up trying to defend himself against Blitzwing as the two fugative Decepticons made their escape without any trouble.

* * *

Starscream and Blackarachnia were hiding. When they were sure Blitzwing was far enough away from them, they had ducked into a giant dumpster, hoping he'd fly past them. Starscream had jumped in first and Blackarachnia had jumped in afterward, her rear end landing on his stomach plating.

"OOF!" he exclaimed as the lid banged shut onto his head. "OW!"

The female mecha put a hand over his mouth. "Shh!" she hissed, putting a finger to her lips. "You want him to find us?"

They fell silent, listening intently for their crazy pursuer. A moment past and they heard nothing. Sighing Blackarachnia removed her hand from his mouth. He mad a face. Not because of the fact that Blackarachnia's butt was on his stomach but because their hiding place had a highly unpleasant odor.

"What's that face for?" she demanded, thinking he was making it at her.

"For one thing it stinks in here," he replied. "For another it's cramped and my body is all out of proportion, I banged my head-" he raised his hand and shoved at her."-and you're squashing me! Would you mind getting off?"

"I would," she told him. "If there was room for me to _get_ off! Your big body is taking up all the room!"

"Well pardon me!" he shot back. "I can't help it that I was built this size!"

"But you can help how much room you take up," she retorted. "Couldn't you have at least scrunched up a little?"

"How can I do anything with you sitting on me?!" he growled, trying to shove her off but unable to in such cramped conditions.

"Oh sure blame everyone but yourself." she shot back, slapping his hand away.

"Excuse me?" he asked indignant. "Whose ideas was it to jump in here anyway? I know for a fact it wasn't mine."

"It wasn't mine," she told him shortly. "I never would have chosen such a disgusting place to hide."

"There's only one disgusting thing in here," he told her. "and I'm looking at it."

Her hands shot up and grabbed the sides of his head. "You take that back right now!" she shouted, yanking him downward at an awkward angle.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, the servos in his back protesting. "Let go! I'm sorry!"

She let him go. "You'd better be," she told him.

He straightened himself up the best he could in the confined space, being careful not to bang his head on the lid again. Blackarachnia also tried to straighten up but couldn't get up that far otherwise she'd hit her head as well.

"So how long are we going to have to stay in here?" she asked him, pulling her legs as close to her body as she was able.

Before he could answer the lid suddenly lifted up and the two found themselves staring up into a white face with black markings. "Not long," the face said, smirking down at them. "Not long at all."

Starscream reacted instinctly. Before anyone could stop him he raised his arm and fired the nullgun attached to it. A blast of energy hit the face point blank and it was blow up and out in an explosion of energy.

Further down the street both Prowl and Blitzwing stopped fighting, noticing the explosion at the same time. Both forgot about their fight and ran toward it, instantly reminded why they were even out there in the first place.

Lockdown had taken the full brunt of Starscream's blast right in the face. The blast had knocked him off his feet and damaged his face but hadn't knocked him offline. He was instantly on his feet again, charging toward the dumpster as Starscream and Blackarachnia climbed out of the ruined dumpster. Blackarachnia looked down at it. The container wobbled slightly then fell apart. "Couldn't you have waited until we got out to do that?" she asked, looking over at the seeker.

"How did you expect me to knwo that would happen if I hadn't?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head. "It just seemed obvious."

Starscream, picked a banana peal off his wing, his face a picture of disgust. "Next time I won't hide in a dampster. Yuck!"

Before she could say anything a voice behind them said. "Next time I won't let you get the chance."

Both Decepticons tensed. "Now what?" the seeker asked, annoyed. He looked over his shoulder and spotted Lockdown. "Slag, I thought I got rid of him."

The bounty hunter smiled at him. 'I'm not that easy to get rid of, Starscream," he said. Suddenly his left arm went from being a hand to being a chainsaw. He came right at the Decepticon jet, swining that arm at his face. The seeker dodged back, avoiding getting hit in the face by the angry buzzing blade. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Be careful with that!"

Lockdown swung at him again. Blackarachnia dodged the blow and got behind the hunter. She tapped him on the shoulder. Out of habit he looked back. The femmebots fist came flying at his face and smacked him in the optics, cracking the glass. Lockdown let out a yelp and put a hand over his damaged optics. Starscream, taking advantage of the hunter's preoccupation, lifted his arm and fired at his back. Lockdown grunted and was sent flying over Blackarachnia's head. He slammed into the pavement a few feet away. This time he didn't get back up.

"I guess he wasn't so tough after all," Starscream commented.

"Maybe not by himself," Blackarachnia said, pointing over his shoulder. "But how about if he has help? Look!"

Starscream instantly spun around and caught sight of Blitzwing coming toward them. The Autobot Prowl was a short distance behind. The seeker really wasn't in the mood to take on three people at once. "I think," he said, grabbing Blackarachnia around the waist. "We'd better find some place else to plan our next move." His thrusters in his feet came to life and the two shot upward and away.

The three stopped and watched the two fugitives fly away. Once they were out of viewing range, Lockdown turned to glare at the other two mechs. "Now look what you've done!" he shouted at them.

"Us?" Blitzwing asked his face changing to Hothead. "**Ve are not responsible for zis! You are the one who let zem get away, bounty hunter!" **He stalked toward the unfractioned transformer. **"How about I slam my fist into your ugly face?!"**

Lockdown faced Blitzwing without flinching. "Go ahead," he said calmly, his hand becomign a chainsaw again. "But that won't get us any closer to capturing them."

Blitzwings face changed back to Icy. "You're right," he agreed.

Lockdown looked over Blitzwing's shoulder. "and where do you tihnk you're going, Prowl?" he demanded.

Prowl had been trying to sneak away while the other two had been arguing. When he discovered he'd been spotted he went into vehicle mode and drove away.

Lockdown sighed. "I'd better follow him," the bounty hunetr said, going into vehicle mode and chasing after the Autobot. "If he gets them first I can saw good bye to my upgrades."

Blitzwing watched them go and was about to follow when Megatron's voice blared into his audio receptor. "What in the frag do you think you're _doing, _Blitzwing?"

The triple changer froze. Oops. He put his hand to the side of his head and replied. "I was trying to help Lockdown capture ze traitors," he replied.

"Lockdown doesn't need your help," Megatron told him, sounding more annoyed than angry. "Now get back here before I am forced to come after you and make you return."

**"But Megatron!" **Blitzwing said his face changing again. **"I could pound zem into slag for you! You don't need a bounty hunter!"**

"Blitzwing," Megatron said with exaggerated patience. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Blitzwing changed back to Icy and sighed. "Yes sir," he said. He transformed into jet mode and flew back to the Decepticon's hideout, feeling very cheated. _It is not fair. _

0000000000

* * *

nd Blackarachnia landed again, once they were a safe distance from the three other mechs. "This is just _perfect_," Blackarachnia said, once they were on the ground and starscream had let her go. She paced in front of him, waving her hands "It's bad enough we have to deal with Autobots but Blitzwing and a bounty hunter too?"

Starscream said nothing. He was trying to think. How was he going to get out of this one? He didn't need anymore problems right now, especially since being stuck helping Blackarachnia was bad enough. "Calm down," he told her. "It will be awhile before they find us and if we keep moving they never will."

"Easy for _you_ to say," she snapped, glaring at him. "Your alternate mode doesn't stick out like a rusted thumb!"

"Well what do you expect me to do about it?" he asked her. "I can't help it that your alternate mode is a disgusting organic creature the size of a house. Have you ever considered scanning something else? Maybe if you did you could get a better mode."

"You think I haven't_ tried_?" she demanded, clenching her fists at her sides. "If it was that easy I would have gotten rid of this half eons ago!"

He shook his head. "Let's just get back to our current problem, shall we?" he said, folding his arms and pacing. "A bounty hunter is on our tails which can only mean one thing; Megatron is paying him to capture us." he put a hand to his chin, thoughtfully. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage somehow..."

"How?" she demanded. "How can we use this to our advantage? I've seen that hunter before! Megatron has hired him before! He's not that easy to get rid of!"

Starscream had to agree with her on that one. Though the seeker did not know Lockdown by name he knew of him by reputation. He wasn't the type to give up easily and if he was given too much trouble he resorted to some not so nice methods of capturing his prey. Starscream shuddered at the thought ."Then we'll just have to be ready for him," he said. "You've got those ability stealing powers. Maybe you should use them on him or just poison him with your venom."

"How?" she asked. "Walk up to him and say "Hi I'm going to be poisoning you now."?"

Starscream shook his head at her."More like this," he said, putting his hands on his chest and leaning toward her. "I'll distract him and you sneak up on him from behind like you did earlier," he explained. "Only this time instead of just hitting him give him a good dose of venom and lay him flat before he tries anything."

She had to admit it sounded like a plan. "Fine," she agreed. "We'll try that."

_A/N_

_Ugh man this chapter drove me bonkers. Oh Lockdown why did you have to be so hard to grasp?! Hehehe the next chapter will be full of fun. XD I can't wait. Too bad you'll have to wait a bit longer. I'll be away all of next week so no updates till I get back. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Just want to take a moment to say. Thank you for all the reviews and also, if you're wondering at all about it; No. I will NOT be putting any type of slash in this story. (unless you count BlackarachniaxStarscream as slash) other than that no! Sorry. I just had to say it. I don't write Mech/Mech fics unless I'm joking around. **

_**NUMBER 7 Bad Idea**_

Lockdown followed the signal of the tracer he'd conveniently slipped onto Starscream's wing when he'd attacked him earlier. At first he thought he might have missed his target but the little blinking red light told him otherwise. _They won't get away from me this time. I've got them tagged. Now all I got to do is bag them and collect my upgrades. This should be easy, providing a certain Autobot doesn't get in my way again. _he turned a corner, zeroing in on their location. It seemed to be in the more suberbane area of the city, away from the prying eyes of humans. For all he knew the locaton choice had been intentional. _They're definitely making this easy for me. Maybe a little__** too **__easy. Now I wonder what those two have in store for me when I get there? _He stopped and transformed, closing the rest of the distance in a more cautious manner on food. "I've been playing this game much longer than either of them," he said to himself. "I'm ready for almost anything."

He took a few more steps then a voice spoke behind him. "Stop right there. That's far enough."

He stopped and slowly looked over his shoulder. Behind him stood Starscream with his arm raised and his canon aimed at the hunter's face. By the look on the seeker's face Lockdown could tell he meant business. "Starscream," he said, turning to face the former second in command. "I figured it was you. Only someone as dirty as you would sneak up behind somebody." he smirked. "Where's the spider? You two have a falling out?"

"Shut up!" Starscream ordered, not liking what he was implying. "You should be worrying about yourself right now!"

"Why?" Lockdown asked then it hit him. "Oh I get it. You and her have something planned, don't you? You're just a distraction so I don't hear her coming up _behind_ me." The smirk turned into a smile. 'Too bad for you two that I already know where she's coming from." he ducked suddenly and Starscream's vision was filled with the image of the fembot flying toward him, off balance because she had tripped over the hunter when he'd thrown himself to the pavement.

She stumbled forward then smacked into Starscream's chest. The things on her shoulders embeded themselves into it and she sucked out his abilities and filled him with venom. "No!" he exclaimed, trying to push her away. "You_ idiot_!" then he fell over.

Blackarachnia got up and stared at his face. "Starscream?" she asked, "Are you alright?" her only answer was a blank expression. "No!" she exclaimed horrified. "I'm sorry!"

"Looks like you just made my job a little easier," Lockdown's voice said behind her. She turned on the bounty hunter. He stood a short distance away, smiling. "Now I only have _you_ to deal with."

"Don't think just because I'm female I'll be easy," she snapped, clenching her fists. "Because female spiders are more deadly than the males!" She lunged.

* * *

Prowl had also picked up the signal from the tracer. It had been purely by accident because he'd been scanning for their energy signatures but picked up that frequency instead. He arrived at the spot just as Blackarachnia lunged at Lockdown, her hands smashing into his shoulders and knocking him to the ground. Prowl also noticed Starscream lying on the ground, seemingly incapacitated. Taking advantage of Lockdown and Blackarachnia's current preoccupation, he ran over to where Starscream was and knelt down, ready to slap the stasis cuffs onto his wrists. Before he could Starscream's optics flared back to full brightness and he grabbed Prowl's arm, yanking him forward and glaring at him. "Just what do you think you're doing, Autobot?" he demanded. He noticed the cuffs and smiled. "You're trying to use that trick again. Well let me tell you something." Prowl suddenly came off his feet and flew over Starscream's head, landing on the pavement a few feet away. Starscream stood up, dusting off his hands. "It's _not _going to work this time."

Prowl groaned as he pushed himself up. He looked at the tall Decepticon towering over him with his arm raised and arm canon aimed at his face. "By all means get back up," Starscream said. "I'll be more than happy to shoot you if you try it."

Prowl ground his teeth together. Suddenly he gasped. "Behind you!"

Starscream smirked at him. "Oh you don't _really_ think I'm going to fall for that one do you?" he asked. "Because if you think I w-" the rest of his sentence was cut off when Blackaarchnia's body slammed into his back and knocked him off his feet. The two Decepticons hit the ground hard, Blackarachnia sitting on Starscream's back. "Get off me!" he shouted, raising his head. "What do I look like? A chair?"

She got up quicky, glaring down at him. "Well sorry," she shouted, putting her hands on her hips. "It wasn't like I could help it!"

He also stood up and noticed Lockdown and Prowl coming toward them. "Now's not the time for this," he told her, raising his arms. "We've got more annoying problems right now."

Blackarachnia glared at the two transformers. "Just what we don't need right now," she muttered and looked at him. "Got anymore bright ideas?"

He smiled strangely. "Funny you should ask that," he said. "Because I think I just came up with one."

She looked at him expectantly. "And that would be-" she began.

Without warning his arms shot out and shoved her toward them. "You distract the while I run away!" he said, already turning tail.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, regaining her footing before she fell into the other robots. She turned around and shook her fist at his fleeing figure. "Get back here, you coward!" she shouted.

"Looks like your boyfriend just dumped you," Lockdown said.

Blackarachnia turned back to the other robots. "He's _not _my boyfriend," she snapped, backing away from them. "If he was I would have dumped him a long time ago."

"Ah too bad," Lockdown said. "I think you two would have made a cute couple. Now why don't you hold still and make this easier."

She glared at him. "Haven't you heard?" she asked. "It's bad luck to corner a widow. They tend to lunge!" she threw herself forward and crashed into the bounty hunter, knocking him to the pavement.

"Get off me!" he shouted, trying to shove her away.

She came within inches of poisoning him when pain filled her head and she flew off him and hit the pavement. "Ugh..." she moaned, pushing herself up, her head in her other hand. A shadow cast over her and she found herself looking up into the face of Prowl who had kicked her. "You!" she exclaimed.

He stared down at her. "I advice you make this easier," he told her, his voice calm. "I wouldn't want to end up hitting you again."

She glared up at him, grinding her teeth in anger. "I don't give up easily," she hissed at him.

Prowl frowned. He really didn't want to fight with her but if he had to... "Then you leave me with no other choice," he said, reaching down to grab her arm.

"Get away from me!" she yelled lashing out with her foot and kicking him in the stomach. He flew across the pavement and right into Lockdown who was heading toward him after he realized that going after Starscream would have to wait. The two robots fell to the pavement with a clang.

Blackarachnia stood up, wiping herself off. "That should keep them down for awhile-"

"Get off me!" Lockdown shouted, shoving the ninja mech off. He got up before prowl and ran toward her, his left arm turning into a buzzing chainsaw.

"Or not," she said annoyed. She turned and ran, cursing Starsceram with every step. "How_ dare _he leave me to deal with those two myself!" she grumbled. "When I get my hands on him I'll-"

"You'll what?" said a voice above her.

She looked up and saw Starscream hovering in the air above her. Before she could yell at him for leaving her behind, he raised his arm and shot at something behind her. She heard yelping and saw Lockdown and Prowl get floored again by his blast. She looked back up at him and he sneered. "You didn't_ really _think I'd run off and leave you did you?" he asked.

_Yes. _She didn't say. She was a bit surprised he'd actually come back at all. She thought for sure he'd abandon her like he usually would. _Maybe I've been wrong about him this whole time..._

Starscream landed and grabbed her arm. "Let's get out of here," he said.

She was all too willing to do just that. "Yes. Let's."

Starscream raised his arm. "But first I think I'll make sure these two don't come after us again."

But, before he could fire, a throwing star flew through the air and clogged the guns barrel. "What?" Starscream exclaimed, looking at the gold star. He looked back at the two robots. Prowl's image flickered then went out. A hologram.

Blackarachnia looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the Autobot ninja. "He's here somewhere," she said.

Starscream pulled the star out of his arm cannon and threw it aside, making a face. "When I find him he'll wish he'd stayed down."

"Forget about him," Blackarachnia said, pointing. "We still have to worry about the_ other _guy."

Starscream looked back at Lockdown who by then had gotten back up. "You just don't know when to stay down do you?" the seeker asked, raising his arm.

"I could say the same to you," the bounty hunter shot back, rubbing the back of his neck. "But you wouldn't take my advice anyway."

Starscream growled at him then fired. Lockdown dived out of the way. The seeker ran at him, still firing away, while the bounty hunter kept on moving sideways to avoid the shots. Blackarachnia stood where Starscream had left her, still trying to pinpoint Prowl's location. She could sense he was close by but couldn't see him. "Come out, Autobot," she muttered under her breath.

She noticed some movement out of the corner of her optics and turned her head just as Prowl came at her in vehicle mode. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit and turned to face him. Prowl went into standard mode and came at her. She kicked at him and he jerked his head back, avoiding the blow.

He retaliated with a punch and she grabbed his fist, pulling it downward. For a second their faces were almost touching then Prowl shoved her back with his other hand and the spider fell back a few steps, trying to regain her balance. The ninja came at her before she could but she jumped in the air as his fist came at her face and he flew forward, shooting underneath her as she shot upward.

Prowl twisted around while still falling and threw two ninja stars at her. She dodged them both then landed cat line on the pavement, glaring at him and clenching her teeth together. Prowl landed on his side and scidded back a moment then righted himself and ran toward the femme who had also gotten up and was running toward him.

Both bots met each other about half way and swung a fist at the others face. Both punches missed as they jerked their heads out of the way. Blackarachnia kicked Prowl in the stomach and he fell back but not before hitting the fembot on the side of the head and knocking her down as well.

She got up, holding the side of her head. "Hasn't anyone ever told you bot to hit a femme?" she demanded.

"Yes," he replied, also getting up, "but that doesn't apply to female _Decepticons."_ and threw another star at her.

Her hand came up and grabbed the projectile. "Then maybe you should change your convictions," she informed him, throwing it back just as hard. "Because this Decepticon is not going to let you get away with it!"

Prowl dodged the star and lunged toward her. She didn't have time to move and he tacled her to the ground.

Meanwhile Lockdown and Starscream were still duking it out. Starscream was using his nullguns to block the blows of Lockdown's hook. The seeker realized the bounty hunter wasn't easy to defeat. "You're good," he said, blocking another blow. "But not as good as_ me_!"

"You're right," Lockdown agreed. "I'm _not_ as good as you. I'm _better_!" His other hand turned into a chainsaw and he dug it into Starscream's torso.

The Decepticon jet screamed in agony and fell back. "Slag," he grunted, holding onto the wound that was dripping blue mech fluid. "I forgot about that." He raised his arm. "Fortunately I only forget things _once_." he fired.

The bounty hunter ducked to avoid the blast then charged at Starscream again, swinging his chainsaw arm. Starscream waited for him to get close enough then grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Lockdown saw Starscream's smirk before he was punched in the face and sent flying backwards and into the pavement.

By then Blackarachnia had lost her own advantage as she struggled with Prowl on the ground. He was stronger than her and she couldn't get him off her. Plus she was getting worn out and couldn't keep this up much longer.

"Get off of me!" she hissed, trying to kick him away.

He took the blow without flinching then grabbed her wrists and slammed them down onto the pavement. She glared at him, wriggling around, trying to break loose. His grip didn't even loosen . Nothing she did was going to get him to let her go.

Prowl decided he had had enough of her struggling and used one hand to hold her down while raising his other arm. Her optics widened when she saw the EMP device come out of his arm and aim at her. "I did not want to do this," he told her. "But you gave me no choice." and fired.

She screamed when the beam hit her then went limp as her systems shut down.

Starscream had heard her scream and got distracted, turning his head and seeing Prowl getting off the unconscious spider. He ground his teeth and turned toward the Autobot. "That was a bad move, Autobot," he growled, raising his arm to fire.

Unfortunately for him he didn't see Lockdown get up and come at him from behind. All he felt was the pain from the blow and nothing as he fell to the pavement, unconscious.

"You never should have turned your back on me," the bounty hunter said, then knelt down and yanked off one of the seekers nullguns. "But this should pay for my troubles." he noticed Prowl and turned his attention onto the Autobot who was just finishing putting the stasis cuffs on Blackarachnias wrists. "You're still functioning I see," he commented, sounding like he couldn't believe it.

Prowl said nothing. He straightened himself and looked down at Blackarachnia, making certain she hadn't come back online, before he retorted. "I've fought Megatron. She is not as powerful as him." he looked over his shoulder and met the hunter's optics. "and I wasn't doing this to help _you_."

Lockdown shrugged as if he didn't care and pulled out the pair of stasis cuffs he had taken from the escape pod. He knelt down again and slapped them onto Starscream's wrists. "I didn't think you were," he said in a neutral voice. "That's just how it turned out." he finished up and stood again. "Now we have a problem. We both want these Decepticons but only one of us can have them._ I _am going to take them to Megatron and I know _you_ want to take them to the Autobots." he folded his arms. "This is going to be tricky. One of us will have to let the other one have them."

Prowl lifted his arm and activated the EMP. "That somebody is not going to be_ me_," he said flatly.

"Hold up," Lockdown said, putting up his hands. "Maybe we can have it both ways."

Prowl looked at him wearily. "And how do you think that?"

"It's simple," the hunter said, walking over to him. "I want them and you want them and I know you won't leave me alone until I give them to you so I figured." and here he grabbed Prowl's arm. "I'll just take you with me as a bonus!" and brought his other hand down on the back on the Autobots neck.

The Prowl didn't even have a chance to defend himself. Something hard and heavy smacked into him then all he saw was darkness before he fell to the pavement, senseless.

* * *

Starscream's senses swam as he started to come around. The first thing he was aware of was that he was lying in a completely uncomfortable position and felt cramped. The second thing was that his head hurt. His optics flickered then came on, showing him that he was lying on his side on the floor of... somewhere. _What? How did I get here? Where am I anyway?_

He lifted his head and looked around. He was in some kind of room or cell in what looked like it was in a space ship. He knew what Megatrons headquarters looked like because he'd been in it a few times and this room didn't fit the layout. He wasn't in the base yet, he was somewhere else. And to make matters worse, he looked at his arms and saw his canons were missing. _That no good bounty hunter took my weapons! _he thought angrily.

He tried to move his arms to a more comfortable position but his fingers gripped metal on metal and realized they were going to stay where they were. _First he takes my weapons now I'm in stasis cuffs? This day couldn't get any worse..._

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a moaning behind him. He froze then cautiously looked over his shoulder. Somebody was lying on the floor behind him. Somebody with black and dark purple colors. _Blackarachnia? _he ground his teeth. _He stuck me in a cell with that no good femme?! _All well. At least he would have somebody to talk to and manye it would make getting out of there easier.

He nudged the femme with his elbow. "Hey," he said to her. "Hey!"

The femme moaned again then her optics flickered and came on. She lifted her head and groggily looked over her shoulder. She saw the seeker looking back at her. "Mind giving me some personal space?" she asked, only half aware of where she was, but fully aware at how close he was.

He stared at her a moment then said, indignantly. "If I was able to I would have!"

"And why can't you?" she asked, her voice getting stronger. "It shouldn't be too hard for you to-"

He swung his leg back and kicked her shin. "I can't because I can't really move with stasis cuffs on!" he shot back.

She looked confused. "Well why in the world are you wearing stasis cuffs?" she demanded.

"It's not like I put them on _myself_!" he shouted back to her. "Are you even fully functional yet?"

She shook her head, clearing the rest of the cobwebs out of her processor and finally took a good look around. She saw they were no longer in the city of Detroit but in some kind of cell. "Did they have to put us _together_?" she asked out loud, trying to shift.

He glared at her. "I thought you _liked _being in close confines with mechs," he shot back.

"What kind of femme do you think I am?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he retorted. "What kind of femme _should_ I think you are?"

Her optics flashed angrily. "I'm _not_ like that!"

He raised an eye ridge. "No?" he asked, sounding like he didn't believe that for a moment. "From the way you act I wouldn't expect anything _else_ from you."

"Well you're _wrong_," she shot back. "I've never done _anything_ like that!"

He looked at her strangely. By the way she acted around all the mech on the ship, he would have thought she had a lot of experience in that area. "Never?" he asked again.

She looked away. "Never," she replied, sounding as if she was confessing a crime. "Can we change the subject? Now isn't the time to be discussing such things like if I am experienced in that area or not. We should be thinking of a way to get out of here."

He looked away from her and glanced around again. They seemed to be boxed in on all sides by solid, dark gray, metal walls. There seemed to be no doors or windows. It made him feel claustrophobic. He saw no way out, no _easy _way out anyway. "We could-" he began but she cut him off.

"Could you kindly move your aft?" she grumbled, trying to scooch away from him. "This room isn't that small, you know."

He looked back at her and got an idea. He reached out the best he could and grabbed her cuffs in his hand before she got too far away. "Maybe it would be best if we stayed close together," he suggested.

She glared at him again, not liking that he was keeping her from him. "I don't want-" she started to say then saw the look on his face and didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she asked him. "Why?"

"Because," he said, looking away with a haughty expression. "Maybe we can help each other get loose." here he looked back at her and asked. "Do you still have the key for these things?"

She thought a moment then nodded. "Why?'

"Well," he said again looking superior. "Since you can't use them on yourself I figured you could use them to free me from these things and then I can use them to free you."

She frowned at him. "And why would I want to do that?" she asked, suspiciously. "How can I be sure you won't leave me here after I set you free?"

"You won't," he told her then saw the look on her face and admitted grudgingly. "I might need your help so leaving you here might be a bad idea, especially if Megatron ends up being here somewhere."

She was speechless. She coudl tell by the look on his face that it had been hard to admit such a thing. _Maybe he isn't as so bad after all... _"All right," she agreed, after a moment. "We'll do it your way."

_A/N_

_The fight scene part was so hard and freaking complicated to do. I'm not sure I really like it but at least I finished it. Is the story close to being done? Not by a long shot. Why aren't they on tables you might ask. Because I'm the author and I say I don' t want them on tables, that's why XD_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Don't ask me to update if you're not going to review. **_

Number 8 **The Escape **_**(or part of it)**_

Blackarachnia had to lean closer to Starscream to get at the cuffs with her key. She didn't like being that close to him, unless it was on her own terms. It made her uncomfortable but she got the feeling that _Starscream_ might not be thinking that way. Though she couldn't see his face she took a guess and figured that he_ liked _it. _Probably because he has the advantage this time, _she thought a little bitterly. _As long as he's calling the shots, and in a way he is, he can do what he wants. _But she wasn't going to allow him to make a move on her unless she was willing to accept it and right now she wasn't.

Things were not going according to plan and this ticked her off. Plus she vowed to kick Prowl's face in the next time she saw him. _How dare he use the EMP on me or sit on me for that matter!_

"Wait a second!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering something.

"What?"

"You are able to pick locks," she said, looking over her shoulder at him. "You got yourself out of these by yourself before."

He looked over at her, a challenge on his face. _What are you trying to say? _"So?"

"Why can't you do it now?" she asked, suspicious again. "Did you just suggest this because you want to-"

"No!" he cut her of. "I can only get out of these things easily when they're_ in front _of me and I can _see_ what I'm doing."

"Oh." she said, realizing how obvious that should have been. "Sorry." she went back to trying to loosen him. "You should have said something sooner."

"You didn't give me a chance," he grumbled. "and you didn't ask."

She said nothing and continued trying to free him. It was hard to do because she couldn't see what she was doing. Suddenly the key slipped out of her hands and hit the floor with a clatter.

"What was that?" Starscream asked, lifting his head.

"I dropped the key," she said, groping around for it.

_Great... _"Well pick it back up."

"I'm _trying_ to," she said impatiently, her fingers searching the floor for the key. "It's kind of hard to do when I can't see it!"

_Why did you have to drop it in the first place? _he didn't asked. Instead he asked. "Want some help?" Not because he wanted to be helpful but because he didn't want to spend anymore time with those things on his wrists. They were giving him a cramp and it felt like his arm was going to fall off.

"No," she told him, still groping around. "You might hit it. and then neither of us will be able to get out of these things."

Starscream was already trying to find it. "Just let me help," he said and his hand brushed her fingers.

She recoiled at his touch "I can find it _myself_," she hissed through clenched teeth.

He didn't feel like getting into another fight. "Just_ let me help_," he said again, through gritted teeth. "Stop being so _stubborn_. We'll be able to find it faster if I look for it too."

She wanted to argue but the logic of his statement kept her from doing so. Yes, him looking for it too was a good idea. "All right," she conceded."Just don't grab my hand and say it's a mistake."

"Whatever," he said. "and why would I want to hold your hand anyway?"

She ignored him and went back to searching. Starscream groped around for the key then his fingers clasped around something. "I think I got it," he said and gave it a yank.

Blackarachnia cried out and kicked him. "That's not the key, you idiot! That's my_ finger_!"

"Well you didn't have to kick me!" he shot back, releasing the digit. "How was I supposed to know?"

"The key has ridges," she retorted. "My finger doesn't."

"Well sorry," he snapped. "Maybe you should try to look for the key somewhere that's away from my hands and I wouldn't grab them by mistake."

She snorted. "Don't blame me," she shot back. "You insisted on helping. I bet you did that on purpose?"

"What?"

"You just wanted to hold my hand, didn't you?"

He made a face. "Not on your life," he shouted. "I'd rather hold _Blitzwing's_ hand than yours."

"Oh so that's why you're always avoiding me," she smirked, knowing she was starting to tick him off. "You swing the other way."

"Shut up!" he shouted. "I don't swing either way! The only being I love is myself!"

"_Sure_ you do."

"Can we just keep looking for that key instead of arguing?!" he growled.

"That's what I was trying to do when you grabbed my fingers," she informed him, scooting away from him some more and returning to her task. "And _you_ started it."

He almost retorted but changed his mind. He didn't feel like fighting with her anymore. He just wanted that key so he could get away from her and teach that rotten bounty hunter a lesson. _Sneaking up on someone from behind. That's dirty. Only __**I**__ am allowed to do something like that. _he growled. _Once I get my hands on that no good hunter he's going to wish he'd never come after me. _

He heard loud shuffling behind him, like Blackarachnia was changing position or something. "What are you doing?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder. A foot kicked him in the face. "Hey!"

"Sorry," Blackarachnia's voice said from somewhere below. He lifted his head and looked down toward his feet. Blackarachnia's head was now where her feet should have been. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

She looked back at him. 'Trying to get the key," she replied, through gritted teeth.

He knew that but why had she changed position? "Well what are you doing _down there_?"

"All that moving around you did knocked the key across the room," she snapped. "I'm trying to get it back."

"Need any help?"

"No!" she snapped. "Just stay where you are and _don't move_! I don't need you kicking it out of reach in your attempts to be helpful."

"Fine," he shot back. "Do it yourself then."

"I intend to," she retorted. "And maybe I'll use it to free myself and leave you here."

"You wouldn't dare." he growled. "Besides you can't do that anyway." He grinned. "You _need_ me, remember?"

She glared at him saying nothing, knowing he was right. "Just shut up," she growled.

* * *

Lockdown sat in the control room of his ship, facing the large computer monitor, absently tossing the hologram projector that had belonged to Prowl in his hand. "I can assure you, Megatron," he said, smiling at his contact. "I have them right where I want them now and you can come get them whenver you want."

Megatron didn't look too thrilled. "And what if they try to escape?" he asked.

Lockdown smirked. "Please," he said. "I'm more than ready for any escape attempts. These two won't escape me like the others did."

Megatron still wasn't satisfied. "You sound very confident for one who has never been able to keep a single Autobot in your custody long enough for you to bring them in."

Lockdown didn't appreciate being reminded of that. "Look," he said, setting the projector on the keyboard and leaning forward. "I can assure you that they will be staying where I put them until you come for them. I know better than to trying doing it the hard way." he raised his arm and looked at the nullgun attached to it. "Plus how are they going to get away anyway, when I have their weapons?"

"The she spider does not have weapons you can easily remove," Megatron reminded him. "Just be sure she doesn't try using her venom on you or stealing your weapons."

Lockdown leaned back in his chair. "I'm not worried about that," he replied. "As a precaution I took the liberty of making sure her little venom injectors have a major malfunction if she tries anything."

"You thought of everything, haven't you?" It wasn't a compliment. It was just stating simple fact.

The bounty hunter smirked. "Of course." he stood. "I can't have my prey escaping on me, especially when it's so valuable."

"Just make sure they _don't_ get away," the Decepticon said. "Starscream is not known to stay down for long. I've killed him five times already and somehow he keeps on coming back."

"Hmm I wonder why..." the bounty hunter said thoughtfully. "and I know he won't answer me if I ask him. So maybe I'll question somebody else who might know the answer."

"And who would that be?"

Another image appeared on the screen. Both Megatron and Lockdown could see the battered figure. "How about my little bonus?"

* * *

"I got it!" Blackarachnia exclaimed, startling Starscream. He'd been listening to her shuffling around for the past half hour trying to get that key without using her hands and had almost dozed off.

"What?" he asked lifting his head. "You finally-" his optics grew wide. "When did you get those things in front of you?"

Blackarachnia was sitting up, her arms now in front of her and holding the key in her fingers. She grinned at him. "About five minutes ago," she replied.

"So _that's _what all that shuffling was," he commented.

She smiled. "This should make things easier," she replied. "Since I can see what I am doing-" she worked the key against the lock. "-I should be able to get myself out of these without help." the lock clicked open and the cuffs fell off. "Bingo."

"Well that's good," he said, watching her get up. "Now how about you try that on mine?"

She looked down at him gloatingly. "I don't know," she said putting her hand on her hips and playing with the key with her other. "I kind of like you this way. Immobile and completely helpless. Besides I could just get out of here and leave you like that. It wouldn't do anything to my conscious."

"Hey!" he shouted, his temper glaring. 'That's not_ fair_!"

"Nothing in life is fair," she shot back. "But." she knelt down and grabbed his arms. "Since I need you anyway I'll just let you go." there was a click and the cuffs fell off.

Starscream sat up, rubbing his wrists. It felt so good to have those things off. He'd started to get a cramp from having them in that position for so long.

"Now," Blackarachnia said, hiding the key. "Let's get out of here."

"We will," he said, getting up. "But not before I teach that rotten bounty hunter a lesson. Nobody sneaks up on me from behind and gets away with it." he looked at his arms. "Especially when that person steals your guns!"

"Fine," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "I've got a ninja I need to teach some manners to anyway."

Starscream walked past her. "We've got one problem," he said, putting his finger to his chin and giving the door to their cell a long hard look. "We can't get out of here."

"Why not?" she asked. "Just blast us out."

"With what?" he asked, pointing to his arms. "That slagging bounty hunter took my weapons, remember!?"

She stared at his arms, seeing the broken metal where the guns were supposed to be. Up until then she hadn't noticed. She'd forgotten that Lockdown always stole the weapons of his prey. "Great," she moaned, slapping her forehead. "Just great. How are we going to get out now?"

Starscream folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Give me a minute," he said. "I'll think of something."

_This could take awhile, _she thought sliding her back down the wall until she was in a sitting position. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees.

* * *

"Prowl," the ninja bot heard his name being called. "Wake up, Prowl."

His optics flashed on and off and a sound like rusted joints trying to move escaped his throat as he lifted his head. He didn't know what had happened by he felt horrible, as if his face had been drug across concrete and his body felt like it had been stomped on a few times by Grimlock. His optics flashed again then activated. He found himself staring into the face of Lockdown.

"Ah," the bounty hunter said. "You finally decided to reboot yourself."

Prowl groaned when the pain grew worse. "Ugh, where am I?" he asked.

"That should be obvious," Lockdown said, waving around himself. "You're in my ship."

Prowl tried to move but couldn't. Flexible but strong wires held him down on a table. Lockdown looked at him in amusement when he tried to break free. "I would advice against that," he said. "Since my last encounter I've taken the liberty to do some upgrades on that. It's not strong enough to hold down Decepticons but its good enough for Autobots. You can struggle all you like but it's not going to get you anywhere."

Prowl glared at him, his dislike for the hunter getting stronger. He mentally kicked himself for getting careless. Lockdown might not have been a Decepticon but he _acted_ like one. "What do you want?" he demanded, knowing he wouldn't be going anywhere. At least for the moment..

"Aside from getting a huge reward from Megatron for bringing in an Autobot, nothing," Lockdown replied. "Why would I want anything from _you_?"

'Because you brought me back online," he replied. "You wouldn't have done that if you didn't want anything."

"I didn't bring you back online," he pointed out. "That would have happened eventually and I don't want anything," he replied. _I already got what I wanted from you. _"But Megatron does. I told him you might know something about Starscream's strange inability to death."

Prowl stared at him. "Why do you think _I_ would know something?" he asked.

Lockdown shrugged. "It just sounded logical."

The ninja bot looked away. "Well I don't." _I wish I did. _

Lockdown folded his arms and studied his captives face. Something about his expression said otherwise. "You _sure_ about that?" he wanted to know. "I thought you Autobots knew_ everything_."

"Well I _don't _know why," Prowl repeated himself. "Maybe Starscream has an indestructible spark or something. Why don't you ask _him_?"

"Because _he_ would lie to me," Lockdown replied. "Starscream isn't one to give away his secrets like energon goodies. If he doesn't want to tell anyone, he won't."

"Well maybe he_ did_," Prowl replied.

"Really?" the bounty hunter asked, looking interested. "And _who_ do you think he would have told?"

Prowl had been sawing at the cables with the blade of one of his stars. Talking to Lockdown had distracted him long enough to keep him from noticing they had become severed. "Maybe you should ask _him_!" he replied, breaking loose and punching Lockdown in the face.

The hunter was taken completely by surprise. He took the blow square in the face and came off his feet, flying backward and hitting the floor. He quickly sat up, seeing Prowl perching on the table like a black and gold vulture. "Next time use stronger cables," he said.

"You're good," Lockdown commented, standing. "I never would have thought an _Autobot_ would be able to break those cables so easily." his arm transformed into a chainsaw. "Next time I'll use stronger metal."

"Next time I'll make sure it doesn't happen," Prowl said, jumping over Lockdown when he came charging at him.

The hunter ducked as the autobot sailed over his head, transforming into vehicle mode, and revving his engines. When he hit the floor he didn't stop and shot out of the room with a squeal of tires.

"Bad idea, Prowl," Lockdown said, getting back up. He ran over to the control console and smashed the alarm button. "_I _might not be able to catch up with you but my _security system _will."

* * *

When the two Decepticons heard the wail of an alarm they looked up from thinking, their heads turned toward the sound. "What's that?" Blackarachnia asked.

"Sounds like an alarm," he told her.

She gave him a look. "I _know_ that," she retorted. "But _why_ is it going off?"

Starscream walked over to the wall and rested his head against it. "I hear footsteps."

"Footsteps?" she asked, getting up off the floor.

He listened for a moment longer, trying to pin point the direction they were coming from. "From what I can here it sounds like there are two," he told her.

"Two?"

"Yeah," he said. "I think one's chasing the other..."

"Then it _couldn't_ be Megatron," Blackarachnia said. "there's no reason he would be chasing Lockdown." another thought came to her. "Could it be an Autobot?"

"I don't know," he replied, moving away from the wall. "But I really don't _care_." he looked at the wall, his expression thoughtful. "But it might prove to be a good distraction for us. That is if we can get out of this room." he rested his fingers on the metal for a moment.

Suddenly she heard a high pitched screeching sound. "What are you doing?" she demanded clapping her hands to the sides of her head.

"I'm trying something," he replied, digging his fingers further into the metal.

"If you think using your fingernails will get us out you must have something wrong with your processor," she told him. "Now stop that before-" she heard a snap and then a yelp. He pulled his hand away from the wall. One of his fingers had snapped in half. "That's what you get." she told him.

"Shut up," he said, grasping his damaged hand. "I'd like to see _you_ do better."

"Okay," she said. She walked past him and stood before the door. "But I'm not going to try to use my fingernails to get us out." She studied the door for a moment, looking it up and down carefully. After a moment she said. "Let's try this." and stuck her fingers in the slit between the door and the wall. Starscream watched as she ran her hand up the door. After a few seconds there was a faint click and the door opened with a whoosh. Blackarachnia smiled and looked over at Starscream whose mouth hung wide open. "Shall we?" she said.

"Show off," he grumbled, following her out of the room.

* * *

Sentinel decided he didn't care what would happen to him and took a ship back to earth. He might get in big trouble for going against strict orders to not leave Cybertron but he couldn't just stand there and wait, not while he knew the truth about Elita-1.

_I can't tell the others about this, _he thought, firing up the engines. _They wouldn't believe me but I get a sneaking suspicion that Optimus might already know. _he frowned. _If he did why didn't he__** tell **__me?_

The answer to that was obvious enough. _Because I wouldn't have believed him, that's why. I would have demanded proof and he wouldn't have been able to show it to me. _

He sighed. _No wonder he never told me._

Suddenly the screen flickered and came on. Sentinel stared into the disapproving face of Ultra Magnus. "Sentinel Prime," he said, obviously trying to hold back anger. "_Where_ do you think you're going?"

"I... uh...," Sentinel stuttered, trying to come up with a good answer. "I'm just uh..."

"You were under strict orders _not_ to leave Cybertrona," Magnus cut him off, his expression saying more than his words. He was not happy that the younger Autobot was disobeying him, again. "You _do_ realize that if you don't return immediately you could be stripped from your rank."

Sentinel stared at him in horror. The last thing he wanted was to lose his rank. He had worked hard enough to get it the_ first _time. Trying to get it again would be impossible. _This is more important. _he reminded himself. _You already knew the consequences of your actions when you left. _"I'm aware of that, sir," he said forcefully. "But I can't come back now."

"Why not?" Magnus asked.

"Because there is something really important I must discuss with Optimus," he replied. "and I must do it face to face. You _do_ understand that don't you?"

"No," Magnus replied. "I _don't _understand but if it's important enough to make you leave without permission then there's nothing I can do about it. It had better be a good reason and don't expect the others to be so considerate when you return."

"I understand," he replied, getting a sinking feeling. "I'll take full responsibility for my actions when I return."

"Just don't be gone too long," Magnus said. "Otherwise don't even think of returning to Cybertron at all." he added before the screen went black.

* * *

Prowl had a bad feeling all of a sudden. Something didn't feel right and he braked himself before transforming again. He'd had to do so quite a few times as he attempted to escape the ship. At one point he'd even had Lockdown chasing him but, for the moment, he'd managed to get away from him.

About that time a gun came out of the wall and fired at him. He jumped out of the way and dived into another room, the door shutting behind him. He stood up and ran an internal scan of himself, bent on pin pointing the problem.. It didn't take long for him to find out what it was. One of his parts was missing. The Autobot symbol that also housed the part that let him use holograms. _Lockdown took my holoprojector, _he thought, staring at the place where it should have been, his mouth hanging open. He couldn't leave with Lockdown possessing the part. He had to get it back first. Because it was also the part where his symbol had been stuck. Without it he was currently a Neutral. The worst place to be for any transformer. _Slag! _he thought, punching the wall. _This day is just getting worse and worse!_

He stopped when he heard footsteps coming down the hall outside the room. Two sets so it wasn't Lockdown, unless he had help. They were also moving slowly, as if whoever it was was trying to be quite about it. That made Prowl suspicious and he leaned against the door, putting his audio receptor to the metal so he could listen better. _I wonder..._

* * *

Starscream and Blackarachnia were cautiously making their way down the same hall Prowl had taken only moments before, doing their best not to set off more of Lockdown's crazy and unpredictable security system. "Are you sure this is the way out?" Blackarachnia asked, keeping in step of the jet ahead of her.

"No," he replied, looking back at her annoyed. "I've never been on this ship before so how would I know? I'm guessing." he growled. "and that constant _noise_ isn't helping my concentrate!"

"There's no need to snap at me!" she shot back. "I was only asking a simple question!"

"Well don't," he hissed. "and be quiet! Do you want that bounty hunter to hear us?"

"How is he going to hear us?" she wanted to know, though she did lower her voice. "With the racket that alarm is making we could scream and he wouldn't hear us even if he was standing across the room."

Just then the alarms went off. "Well so much for that," Starscream said. "That stupid alarm was more a nuisance anyway."

"Hey! how'd you get out of your cell!" a voice behind the made them jump.

Both bots turned around. Lockdown was further down the hall, staring at them."I think," Starscream said, grabbing the she-spiders arm. "We'd better_** run!"**_

He took off down the hall, dragging her along behind him. Lockdown stood still for a few seconds then chased after them.

* * *

Prowl listened to the footsteps fade down the hall then stepped out of the room he'd hidden in. He looked the way the other bots had gone then went in the opposite direction. _Now to get my holoprojector back. Hopefully the Decepticons will keep his busy long to enough for me to do so._

_A/N_

_Yes, aside from Lockdown turning on his security system he did chase after Prowl as well, just to be safe. _

_Will they ever catch a break? Will their relationship ever get past the argumentative stage? Probably. For now it'll stay the way it is... until I find a good place to add more romancy gutterland areas. Will one be coming soon? I dunno. As for Prowl... hehehe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. _


	9. Chapter 9

_**PART 9 **_

Starscream glared over his shoulder at the fractionless bounty hunter chasing him and Blackarachnia. He wasn't happy with himself for having to run away but, having had his guns stolen, forced him to do so. _Just be glad you took them, bounty hunter, _he thought. _Because if you hadn't you'd be nothing but a pile of slag right now. _

"I thought you were going to teach him a lesson," Blackarachnia said as they ran. It sounded like she her voice held a mocking tone.

He ignored her comment and yanked on her hand. "Right now I just want to get out of here," he said. "and as I said before I can't do anything to him because he _has my guns_!"

"Do you have to rely only on guns?" she asked. "What about?"

"How about you shut up?" he asked. "I'll take care of him later but we have to get out of here first!"

"Don't you think I don't know that?"

"Will you stop trying to argue with me all the time?" he demanded. "Now isn't the time or place for this! Just shut up and keep running!"

"Coward," she muttered.

"What did you call me?" he demanded.

"I called you a coward!" she yelled, looking toward him. "You're running away cuz you don't have your guns."

"That's why I'm running away!" he shot back. "and what about you. You're running too!"

"Only cuz you are holding my arm!" she hissed. "If you let me go I'd show that guy what a _real_ Decepticon can do."

"What?" he asked. "Lose? Let me point out that you lose to an Autobot. An Autobot that dropped out of ninja school and you're not even a_ real _Decepticon. "

She ignored the stab. "I wouldn't have lost to him if he didn't have the EMP," she retorted.

Starscream suddenly jerked on her arm, yanking her around a tight corner and past a room with tables in it. He heard Lockdown's feet scrape on the floor as he forced himself to also take the turn and chase after the. Unfortunately for him he couldn't make it and slammed into the wall. Blackarachnia heard the sound of his body contacting the wall and then heard Starscream laughing. "I _knew _that would get him!" he cackled. "Now let's find a place to hide until he recovers."

"Hide!?" she exclaimed. "Why hide?"

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Because we can't go anywhere until I get my weapons back," he informed her. "and I want to come up with a way to get them back and deal with him at the same time."

"Can't you do that _after_ we get out of here?" she wanted to know.

"I could," he agreed. "If I had a weapon to defend myself with!"

"Well maybe he's got some in one of these rooms," she suggested, glancing at the closed doors they were passing. "You _did_ say he takes parts from transformers he captures as trophies and uses them to upgrade himself. Maybe he has some weapons too."

Starscream's expression lit at the suggestion. "What a good idea," he said.

She smirked at him. "I come up with a few every now and then."

* * *

Prowl poked his head into the ship's control room. "It has to be here somewhere," he said to himself. A while back he hadn't just realized his _holoprojector_ had been stolen but Ratchet's EMP as well. If he didn't bring that back Ratchet would be angry. The old veteran had gone through enough to get it back the first time. He wouldn't be happy if he lost the device to Lockdown twice. _And I don't need the lecture._

Prowls optics scanned the room, searching for both items, then came to rest on the control panel. Something was resting on it. Something familiar. "That's it!" he whispered, stepping into the room and walking cautiously over to the panel.

But, before he could touch the objects on the panel, he was startled by the sound of footsteps coming toward the control room. Not wanting to be seen he looked around himself for a place to hide. His optics centered on a large table in the center of the room. Quick as a flash he threw himself behind the table and out of sight just as the owners of the footsteps entered the room, though a different door.

"You were right," a screechy voice spoke up. "He _does _have weapons in here."  
"I told you," said another voice, clearly female. "Like you said earlier. He takes parts from transformers he captures as trophies and that most likely means he takes weapons as well."

"I just hope he's got my cannons here somewhere," said the other voice.

Prowl heard footsteps then a scraping sound, as if someone was dragging something across the floor. "What are you doing?" the female voice demanded.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" the other voice replied. "I'm looking for my nullguns."

"Under a crate?" the female asked. "I doubt he hid them there."

"Fine. Then where do you suggest I look, smarty servos?"

"Try looking some place out in the open." she suggested. "Most things hidden best are out in the open."

Prowl, unable to stand not knowing who was talking, peaked his head out from behind the table. He froze when he saw who it was. _So they __**did **__escape after all, _he thought, ducking out of view again. _That means Lockdown is going to come looking for them but maybe... _he held up a throwing star and looked at his reflection in the blade. _I can capture them first.._

But before he could do anything a voice behind him said. "Well look what _I_ found!"

He turned his head just as a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his hiding place. Prowl found himself staring into a pair of blood red optics.

"Well what do you know, it's the Autobot that was helping out the bounty hunter." Starscream said, smirking at Prowl. "It looks like he was spying on us for the hunter. Probably to make sure we didn't get out of here."

Blackarachnia looked up from searching and stared coldly at the Autobot hanging from Starscream's grasp. She straightened and stalked over to him, her hands resting on her hips. "It looks like I won't have to search for him after all," she said, smirking. She reached up and grabbed his face. "He made things easy for me."

Prowl swatted at her hand. She moved it away from his face before he could hit it. Starscream didn't give him a chance to try to hit her again. He smashed him into the floor and held him down with a foot. "Looks like our Autobot friend is feeling feisty," he commented, pressing down hard on his back. "Maybe we should show him what Decepticons do to Autobots that are a little too over confident."

Much as Blackarachnia wanted to teach Prowl a lesson she realized now wasn't the time or place to do such things. Not with Lockdown somehwre in the base, obviously looking for his two escapees. "It'll have to wait," she told Starscream, putting a hand on his arm. "We can deal with him later."

He frowned, not liking being told what to do by a half breed. "Why not?" he demanded looking over at her.

"Because we don't have time," she informed him. "Remember, we still have to deal with Lockdown."

The seeker knew she was right. "Fine," he said. He removed his foot from Prowl's back and grabbed his arm again, pulling him off the floor and forcing him to look at him. "It's your lucky day, Autobot," he said, his optics flaring. "But not as lucky as you think."

With a lighting fast movement, Starscream thrust his arm backward, letting Prowl go. The force sent the Autobot flying until he smacked hard into the wall and fell to the floor, smashing into trophies in the decent. Prowl was buried under a pile of parts. Starscream watched the spot where he'd gone down for a moment, waiting for the Autobot to get back up. When he didn't the seeker turned his attention back to Blackarachnia. "I don't think we'll be worrying about him for awhile," he commented.

Blackarachnia doubted that but didn't say anything. She would let Starscream think he'd beaten Prowl that easily. "He's not the problem right now," she said, kneeling down and rummaging through the spilled trophies. "Let's just find your weapons and get out of here before the _real_ problem shows up."

Starscream knelt down to help her search. After a moment he exclaimed. "Ah hah!" he stood up, holding one of his guns. "I found them!"

"Good," the femme said, looking toward the exit. "Now let's get out of here."

"You won't be going_ anywhere_!" a voice exclaimed.

The two Decepticons looked up.

* * *

The last thing Optimus Prime expected was an unscheduled visit from the Elite Guard, especially not from Sentinel. The moment the ship landed Prime came running out of the warehouse and toward the landing spot to greet him. He hadn't gotten more than ten steps when the hatch opened and Sentinel jumped out.

The Autobot stopped in his tracks and stared at the other Prime. "Sentinel?" he asked, surprised.

Sentinel walked toward him, looking nervous. "I need to talk to you, Optimus," he said, not meeting his optics.

Optimus felt his dislike for Sentinel rising and he demanded, folding his arms. "What about?"

The other Prime noticed Bumblebee hanging around and said. "I can't tell you here." he finally met his gaze. "We need to speak _in private_."

Optimus almost told him to stuff it but something about the other Primes expression kept him from doing so aside form the fact that doing so could be held against him later on. For a moment there was silence then he said. "All right."

* * *

The two Decepticons stared at Prowl who had clawed his way out of the pile of junk that had fallen on him. He stood a few feet away, aiming one of the weapons he'd grabbed from the pile at them. "Don't move!" he ordered.

Starscream glared at him. "What must I do to get rid of you?" he demanded, clenching his fists. He looked ready to fly at the Autobot but Blackarachnia's hand being placed on his arm stopped him. He looked at her and she shook her head.

"Not now," she mouthed. "_I'll_ deal with him. You just make sure that that bounty hunter stays where he belongs. Offline."

Starscream looked ready to argue with her about ordering him around but changed his mind. Instead he moved away from her, angrily connecting the gun back onto his arm. "Stupid femme," he grumbled. "Who does she think she is ordering me around?"

"Don't move!!" Prowl exclaimed, making a move to stop the seeker.

Blackarachnia moved quickly and stopped him with a hard kick to the face. He flew across the room and slammed into the wall. "Ah ah ah," she said, waving her finger at him when he tried to get up. "I would advice you stay right there on the floor. You wouldn't want to get hurt would you?"

He glared at her and tried to grab for something to hit her with. She was across the room in seconds. Her foot stomped down on his wrist. "I told you," she said, grinding his wrist into the floor, making him yelp in pain. "Too bad you won't be around long enough to learn from your mistake."

Starscream meanwhile poked his head out of the control room and looked up and down the hall for any sign of Lockdown. He could not see him but he heard what sounded like footsteps coming toward them. "Forget about him," Starscream said, pulling his head back into the room. "We've got other problems."

Blackarachnia looked up from grinding Prowls face into the floor with her foot. "Slag," she cursed, hearing the bounty hunter's footsteps. "I guess it can't be helped. But let's make sure we only have _one_ problem to deal with at a time." she slammed her foot into the Autobot's face and was rewarded with the satisfying sounds of him grunting and the shatter of glass.

From where Starscream stood he saw Prowl's body jerk then go limp. When Blackarachnia moved her foot from his face he saw the Autobot's optics were cracked and glowing blue mech fluid was leaking from his mouth and forehead. "So much for him," he commented.

The fembot moved away from the senseless Autobot. "It's not that serious," she told him, walking toward the seeker. "But it should keep him out of the way for awhile." she sneaked a peek out of the room. "I don't feel like dealing with two problems at once and it seems our other problem is on his way." she pulled her head back in and looked at the other Decepticon. "So what are you going to do?"

"What else can we do?" he asked, holding up his arm. "We're going to make sure he can't follow us this time."

She shook her head. "I've got a_ better _idea."

He stared at her. "and that would be?"

She smiled cunningly. "This!" and she kicked him across the room.

* * *

"You knew she was here didn't you?" Sentinel demanded, turning to face Prime once the two were far enough away from the base to not be overheard.

Optimus looked confused. "Knew_ who _was here?" he asked.

"Elita!" the other Prime shouted. He jabbed an accusing finger at him. "You knew all this time! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Optimus gave him a look that said. _You already know the answer. You wouldn't have believed me anyway. _"Would it have mattered?" he asked instead.

No it wouldn't have but Sentinel wasn't one to admit such things. "Just tell me what happened."

Optimus sighed. Sentinel was as much of a friend to Elita as he had been. He couldn't keep things from him since they concerned him as well. "All right," he agreed. "But you're not going to like it."

* * *

Starscream smashed into the wall and fell to the floor, causing trophies to fall off a shelf above him and rain down on him. He clawed his way out of the mess and glared at Blackarachnia. "What did you do that for?" he demanded.

She walked over to him and knelt down, taking his chin in her hand. "I got an idea," she replied.

"Oh really?" he asked, glaring at her. He reached up to grab her wrists. "Is it away for you to get away from me before I rip your eight legs off?!"

She ignored his comment, forcing his head up and looking into his optics. "It's really quite simple," she said. "I pretend I turned on you and then make him think I'm siding with him. Then when I get him into thinking he can trust me I'll make sure he never captures another robot again."

"So you're going to seducing him and then poison him?" he asked, making a face. For a second something sparked inside Starscream's chest. Jealously. _Why am I feeling jealous? I don't even__** like **__her! _He let go of her wrist.

She smiled. "Exactly," she confirmed, letting his face go and straightening up. "Now pretend I just kicked the slag out of you."

He smirked at her. "That's harder than it sounds," he taunted.

"Oh?' she looked down at him with a hand on her hip. "Maybe _this_ will help." she said and kicked him in the face. He fell back and disappeared under the junk. "Now stay there and pretend to be offline." she hissed.

"I never expected to see Decepticons knocking each other out," an amused voice said behind her.

The fembot looked over her shoulder. Lockdown was standing in the doorway. He looked at her with an expression of amusement. "But then Starscream probably gets on _everyone's_ nerves." he folded his arms and cocked his head. "I wonder; what did he say to make you do that. Did you two have a lovers spat?"

She turned to face him. "Does he have to say _anything_?" she asked him. "His very _presents_ gets under my skin and he's _not_ my boyfriend." she gave his leg a hard kick. "I would never have a relationship with this pitiful hunk of slag."

The bounty hunter wasn't sure he believed that. "Oh really?"

"Really." She gave him a disarming smile. "_You _on the other hand..."

Lockdown gave her a suspicious look. "Me?" he asked.

She folded her arms, the disarming smile still on her face. "Yes you," she said. "You're more worth my time. You and I probably have a lot in common."

"I _doubt_ that."

"No?" she asked, looking at his trophies. "You're not the only one who steals weapons you know. I can take them too. But, unlike you, I don't need to steal the parts to use them." she looked back at him. "All I have to do is touch them and I can take their weapons."

"That's where we differ," he told her. "I don't just steal the weapons to use them. I could never use them all. Aside from making them useful as upgrades they're also trophies." he looked at the parts littering the floor and walls. "Trophies from all the transformers I catch. It's more of a thrill. The more of a fight they put up the more enjoyment I get from taking the part off them."

"Oh," she said, swaggering over to him. "How morbidly fascinating. Ever consider getting a partner?"

"I work alone," he told her. "I like it that way."

"Oh," she said. She stood right in front of him now. "But if you ever consider getting one." she reached out a hand and touched his chest plate. "_I'm_ always available."

Lockdown had enough sense not to allow himself to be seduced so easily. "I'm afraid that would be impossible," he told her. "I was hired to capture you and Starscream and once Megatron is through with the both of you there won't be enough left of you to build a toaster." He grabbed her wrist and jerked her hand upward. She made no reaction has he yanked it upward and made her dangle from it. "But I don't think you're as important as the jet you just took out."

She smiled again. "Maybe you could tell him that I took him out," she suggested. "Maybe he'll go easy on a helpless female like me."

He knew that statement was a lie but for some reason it made him smile. "Maybe you can tell him that _yourself_."

"Maybe I should," she agreed. "But he won't believe me if I don't have somebody to back up my claim." she cocked her head. "And I know you did."

Lockdown let her arm go. The femme landed gracefully on her feet even though the fall had been unexpected. He smirked at her. "I could always say you're lying," he told her. "and why should I do such a thing anyway? What's in it for me?"

She gave him a look. "Have you ever taken an interest in Megatron's fusion cannon?" she asked.

He said nothing. Truthfully he had taken an interest in it. That large piece of firepower was just the upgrade he needed, especially after he'd given his other one to Swindle the last time they had met up. Blackarachnia read his silence as confirmation. "You have haven't you?"

"Why should it matter?" he asked her. "It's not like _you'll_ be able to get it for me."

She once again put her hand on his chest. "Are you willing to bet on that?" she asked, drawing closer. "Because I can. Sometimes being built female has its advantages. Wouldn't you agree?" she brought her face closer to his. "I can get it for you," she whispered. "But before I do _you_ have to give _me_ something first."

Before he could answer she had already cut off any words by covering his mouth with her own. his optics widened with surprise then dimmed as her weight caused him to lose his balance. They fell back against the control panel. After a moment she moved away from him and smiled. He was about to reply but suddenly felt something was wrong. His thoughts were getting sluggish and his movements felt jerky. Plus his vison was getting crazy. The femme looked like she'd gotten a twin.

"What-" he began. "What did you do to me?"

Her smile turned into a smirk. "I should have warned you," she said. "Black widows kill their mates." she leaned toward him. "Sorry about that handsome."

He realized then that she had tricked him. "You!" he shouted. He reached out to grab her arm but his hand went limp. A few seconds later his optics flickered then went on. His body went limp and he slid off the console onto the floor. She laughed to herself and straightened up.

"So _that's_ what they mean when they say women have the kiss of death."

Blackarachnia turned around. Starscream had gotten out of the pile of junk he'd been laying under. He stood behind her with his arms folded. His expression wasn't happy. "Maybe next time you seduce somebody you shouldn't take so long."

She put her hands on her hip. "Why do you care how long I take?" she asked cocking her head. "You jealous?"

He glared at her. "No," he replied. "I just didn't like lying under all that junk pretending I was offline, that's all." he walked past her and yanked something off the bounty hunter's arm. "At least you were able to accomplish it." he attached his other null gun to his arm. The one Lockdown had added to his own structure. "and I got _both_ my weapons back."

"Good," she said. "Then let's get out of here." she turned to go.

"Wait," he said.

She stopped. "What now?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

She saw Starscream was looking down at Prowl. "I think I just came up with a way to make getting that key easier," he said, grinning.

_A/N_

_Yeah yeah. This chapter was sucky in parts. I tried to make it make sense but it hates me! I swear! My inspiration has been out the window the last few chapters but I'm trying. At least I was able to come up with a way for them to get that key. _

_And as I've said before. Don't ask me to update if you're not going to even thank me. The only reason I'm even continuing this is because you all wanted me to. If you don't want me to anymore I won't. _


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Blackarachnia looked at Prowl then back up at Starscream who was still grinning as if he'd come up with the answer to the creation of the universe. "Oh?" she said. "and what would that be."

He pointed at Prowl. "Him," he replied.

She looked doubtful. "Him," she said, looking back down at the Autobot. "How can he make getting that key easier? You gonna blackmail him or something?"

The jet shook his head as if he couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out. "No," he said, reaching down and picking up the Autobot by the arm and holding him before her like a trophy. "It's like this," he began. "We go to the Autobot's base and give them a choice."

"What kind of choice?"

"We tell them that if they don't give us the key we'll kill their friend here," he explained smiling and pointing at Prowl's head. "This will make things easier."

"How'd you think that?"

"It's simple," he said, as if it should be obvious. "Autobots are a bunch of wimps and soft heated metal. They would never stand back and watch one of their comrades die," he smiled. "And I know for a fact they'll hand over the key because they wouldn't want me killing their comrade."

She frowned, folding her arms. She knew he was right but didn't want to admit it. It was hard to admit he was right about anything because saying such things didn't help his ego. She heard a soft moan and looked at Prowl. "Before we do that I think you'd better do something to make sure he doesn't try to get away from us," she said, pointing at the ninja. "He sounds like he's coming around."

Starscream lifted Autobot and looked closely at his face. He saw that he was regaining consciousness. He couldn't have that. He looked around himself. His optics fell upon a pair of stasis cuffs resting on the control panel.

Still holding onto Prowl, he crossed the room and grabbed the cuffs. "This should do it," he said, slapping them onto Prowl's wrists. "With these on he won't be a problem and they should keep him out for awhile."

"Good," she said, glancing down at Lockdown. He hadn't moved but that didn't mean he wouldn't. "Now let's get out of here before our other friend gets up. My venom didn't kill him, but it should keep him offline for awhile."

Starscream was just as eager to get away from the ship as she was. Satisfied that their bargaining chip wouldn't try anything now, he followed her out of the room without looking back.

Sentinel made no comments as Optimus related the story Blackarachnia had told him. The other Prime's expression was unreadable so Optimus could not tell what he was thinking. He wasn't even sure his former friend even believed him or not. "That's about it," he said when he was finished retelling the whole event from start to finish.

Sentinel was quiet for a moment, letting the story sink in. Finally he said. "How could she think such a thing?"

Optimus shook his head. He'd asked himself that question many times since he'd last seen her and still wasn't any closer to figuring out an answer. "I don't know."

The other Prime started pacing. "I _knew_ we should have gone back for her. I knew it," he said over and over.

"We would have," Optimus said. "But she didn't answer when I-"

Sentinel looked at him sharply. He didn't want to hear that excuse again. "I _know_ that," he cut him off. "But we should have gone back _anyway_. We should have at least tried to go after her, even if she didn't reply." he pointed an accusing finger at Optimus. "But _you_ didn't_ want _to."

Optimus said nothing. To be honest he _had _wanted to go back and look for her but, when she had given no response, he didn't think there was a point. "What did you want me to do?" he asked.

"I wanted you to listen to me for once," Sentinel replied, looking annoyed. "We should have gone back. We shouldn't have left her there even if she _was_ dead. We shouldn't have..." his voice trailed off and he started pacing again.

When the two Decepticons stepped out of the bounty hunters ship they found themselves in the forest outside the city. "At least it's not space," Blackarachnia commented, looking up at the tall pines.

Starscream didn't comment. He let go of Prowl's arm and let the senseless Autobot flop to the ground, then folded his arms and leaned against the side of the ship, thoughtfully.

He was considering something. Now that he had something to use to get that key did he really need Blackarachnia anymore? From the beginning the two had been using each other. She needed him because she considered him in the same boat as her. He wasn't sure why he needed her but whatever the reason her usefulness, whatever it had been, seemed to be completely used up. He could dump her right now and get that key by himself. Then he could go after Megatron and think no more of the femme.

But... he didn't want to. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to but he didn't. Maybe she'd grown on him. _Don't be crazy. That will never happen. _

"We'd better be going," Blackarachnia said after a moment of silence. She didn't know why he hadn't made some kind of comment yet and it was making her nervous. She got the feeling he was up to something. _I hope you're not thinking of breaking our deal. _

"Yeah," he said, snapping out of his thoughts. "But how are you going to get out of here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him.

"Well I can fly," he told her. "and that means I'll be at their base with their friend long before you-"

She shot him a cutting look. "Are you telling me you're not going to take me with you?!" she exploded.

He shrugged, smiling slightly. "Something like that," he said. "No offense, but I can't stand lugging around your half breed frame. It's disgusting."

"_I'm _disgusting?!" she snapped. "What about you? At least I'm not a huge suck up who resorts to aft kissing to get out of trouble." she smirked. "Just watching you kiss up to Megatron is enough to make anybodies systems fry."

He glared at her, not liking her brining that up. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"No?" she said, her tone saying she knew exactly what she was talking about. "I know enough to get under your metal plating."

He almost said "Oh yeah" but changed his mind. He didn't want to get into another fight with her. It wasn't worth it. She might get a kick out of making him feel like an idiot but he didn't appreciate it. Besides, he had more important things to do than get into another argument with her. Like get that key.

"Forget it," he said, turning away from her.

"No I _won't_ forget it!" she shouted. "I want you to tell me what you're going to do! Are you going to give me a ride or not?" she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head, her four optics burning into the side of his head. "You _do_ realize that without me you'd still be on that Elite Guard ship getting your pathetic frame lugged first class back to Cybertron."

Why did she have to keep reminding him? It wasn't like he _owed_ her for saving him, or at least that's what he told himself. he wasn't so sure about that now. She should just drop it because he didn't _care_. "That's not going to work," he told her, turned back and folding her arms. "You can't guilt trip me this time."

"Really?" she walked forward, invading his space. "I beg to differ."

Starscream back away from her, not wanting her to invade his space further, until his back ran into a large tree at the end of Lockdown's ship and he couldn't go any further. She just kept coming purposely, her expression that of one who wasn't about to let him get away from her. He hated when she did that. It made him nervous because he didn't know what she was going to do to him. "Just remember, even if you _had_ gotten away by yourself from the Elite Guard you still would have had to deal with Lockdown. Without me here you'd still be in that cell." She put her hand on his throat, her voice lowering a few pitches. "You _owe_ me."

"Eh now Blackarachnia," he said, nervously, as her grip tightened. "Let's not get too hasty..."

"Hasty?" she said, bringing her face closer to his. "I'm _not _getting hasty. I'm just reminding you that _I'm_ the only reason you're walking free and, without me you, would be offline by now or worse." she smiled, showing her fangs. "Now are you going to give me a ride or not?"

He was trapped. With her hand around his throat there was only one answer he could give her without her strangling him. He would have to do what she wanted.

"We should be looking for her," Sentinel said suddenly. "Maybe if we find her we can-"

"It won't work," Optimus cut him off.

"How would _you _know?" the other Prime demanded, looking over at him.

"I already tried," Optimus replied. "If she wanted to see us she would come to us."

Sentinel started pacing again. "She doesn't want to see _you_," he pointed out. "She never said anything about _me_."

"She blames us _both_," Optimus repeated. "and if you try talking to her and blaming me for what happened she will ask why you didn't come back for her either and you can't say it was because I would not let you. If you really wanted to go back for her you could have."

"No, I _couldn't!"_

"Why not?"

Sentinel said nothing for the longest time, he didn't even look at his former friend. When he finally did speak, his voice was strained as if he was having a hard time coming up with the words. "Because I was afraid." he looked at him. "I couldn't go back with all those organics around. I didn't want to become contaminated."

"That is probably why she won't come to you," Optimus pointed out. "Why she didn't even bother looking for you. She knows how you feel about organics. She probably figured you'd reject her too."

Sentinel knew his former friend was right but he refused to admit it. "I wouldn't have rejected her!" he insisted.

Optimus shook his head. He wanted to point out again that he would have but it wouldn't have done any good. Sentinel was the type that never admitted his faults or anything negative for that matter. He spent too much time looking down on others and pointing out their faults just to make himself look good. It was hardwired into his programing. "So if you had a chance to speak to her you would tell her that?" he asked.

'Of course."

Optimus looked into the sky. "Then here's your chance."

"Huh?" Sentinel looked up. He saw something in the sky that was slowly getting bigger as it descended. His optics zoomed in on the image and he discovered that it was Elita and the Decepticon Starscream. "What in the world is she doing with_ him_?"

"They're on the same team, remember," Optyimus reminded him. "What else would she be doing with him?"

"Does she have to rub it in?" he demanded looking back at his former friend.

Before he could answer Starscream touched down and loosened his hold on the femme. She stepped away from him but stayed close, just in case the Autobots decided to attack and they could make an easy get away.

"I'll handle this," Optmus said to Sentinel. "I know more about Decepticons than you do and I advice not attacking until we find out what they want."

Sentinel was about to argue but Optimus ignored him and turned his full attention to the Decepticons. "Just keep your mouth shut," he added as a side note. "You'll only make things worse." to Starscream and Blackaarchnia he demanded. "What do you want?"

"We're here for the key that your little human friend has in her possession," Blackarachnia spoke up before Starscream could make the demands in a more flamboyant way.

Optimus wasn't really surprised. Blackaarchnia was still desperate to remove her organic half from her body so that meant she still wanted Sari's key though she already knew it wouldn't help her. He didn't understand why Starscream would be interested in it, though. The other Decepticon was more interested in the AllSpark and killing Megatron, _not_ in keys. Unless...

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, folding his arms.

"You _will _do it," she shot back.

"Why _should_ I do it?" he asked. "Why would I _want_ to do it?"

Now Starscream spoke up. "Because if you don't-" and here he held up something.-" your friend here will no longer have a working processor."

Optimus gasped when he realized what or _who_ Starscream had in his grasp. Prowl. The ninja Autobot hung limply from the jet's grasp. The seeker smirked. "Look familiar?" he asked. "Your friend here learned the hard way not to take on Decepticons on his own."

"Let Prowl go!" Optimus ordered, suddenly angry.

Starscream smirked at him. "Do you really think saying that would work?" he asked. "I'll release him when you give us that key."

"I don't have it," Prime informed them, as if that would work. "Sari has it and she's not here."

"Then _find_ her and _bring_ it here," Blackarachnia snapped. "We'll come back when you do." She looked up at Starscream who looked annoyed. He met her gaze then wrapped his arm around her."You have two hours."

"Hey!" Sentinel shouted, stepping forward. Optimus held him back. "Get your hands off her, you dirty Decepticon!"

"Stop it!" Optimus ordered.

Blackarachnia felt Starscream's optics on her. She looked back at him. "Let's get out of here."

He needed no second bidding. The thrusters in his feet activated and the two and their hostage were airborne. "Two hours!" she called to them as she and her ride ascended. "We'll be back then. If you don't have the key when we return we'll waste your friend."

and then they were gone.

When Optimus was sure they wouldn't be back he let Sentinel go. The other Prime glared at him angrily. "What did you do that for?" he demeaned. "I could have gotten her away from that creep."

Optimus gave him a correcting look. "You were only making a scene," he told him. "I already told you. She doesn't want us to get her away from the Decepticons. She doesn't want to be saved, especially not by us."

"You don't _know_ that!"

"Yes I do," Optimus pushed him aside. "Let me suggest something."

"What?"

Prime looked over his shoulder. "Go back to Cybertron. You're only making things worse."

"I'm not going anywhere until I talk to Elita." the other Prime said firmly.

"If you want to talk to her go right ahead but I'm not helping you look for her," he told him. "In fact you don't have to look her anyway. They said they'd be back in two hours. If you want to talk to her wait. You can speak to her then, but only if she decides she wants you to."

Sentinel almost said something mean but held himself back. Optimus suggestion sounded like a good idea."Fine, I will."

Blackarachnia got the feeling that Starscream wanted to ask her about what had happened earlier but he waited until they were a good distance away from the Autobots before he did so. He touched down on the top of the Sumdac tower and, after letting go of his cargo, said. "I would like to know what that was all about."

"What _what_ was all about?" she demanded, turning on him.

He gave her a Look. "The blue Autobot," he said. "He seemed very protective of you." he looked at her searchingly. "I wonder why."

She knew why but she wasn't about to tell him what it was. "I don't know," she said, quickly. "Maybe he mistook me for someone else."

"And _who_ would that be?"

"What are you asking me for? I don't know."

Starscream didn't believe that for a second. She was hiding something and the way she was acting proved it. _I'll find out what it is one way or another. It might be useful in the future._

"So do you think they'll bring the key?" she asked, changing the subject, before he could ask another question.

"Of course they will," he told her, confidently. He kicked Prowl lightly with his foot. "as long as we have their friend's life in our hands they don't have a choice."

"But what if they think of a way to get him back without giving us the key?" she wanted to know.

He hadn't thought of that. "What is this all of a sudden?" he asked her. "This was _your_ idea. _You're_ the one who wanted to get the key in the _first place._ Now, when we come up with a surefire way of getting it, you start having second thoughts? What the slag is wrong with you?"

"_Nothing _is wrong with me," she retorted defensively. "I'm just thinking realistically here. I know Autobots. They might not like having their friends killed but ,just because they have to make a choice, doesn't always mean they'll do things the way they're supposed to go."

"How would you know that?" he demanded. 'These are _Autobots_. Soft sparked wimps! They'll do it the proper way or they won't do it at all. and, if they don',t I'll kill their friend just to show them I was serious." He kicked Prowl again. "Don't worry about it."

_I have reason to worry. _

_A/N_

_Oh man alive.. This chapter was so much better the last time I wrote it. Thanks to my dumb hardrive crashing I lost everything and had to rewrite this. I am seriously out of touch with my muse. Ugh. This is driving me mad! I just want to pick up my computer and throw it out the window and stomp on it. I tried to remember everything I had written but I can't and had to put in different things. Oh man this sucks big time. I'm also aware that Sentinel's acting out of character._

_Be happy updated at all.  
_


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Sari stared up Prime in disbelief. Why was he suddenly demanding the key from her? "You want my key?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes," he nodded in confirmation. "We need your key."

She held it close to herself and asked. "What for?"

Bumblebee stepped in to explain. "Because the Decepticons are going to kill Prowl if we don't give it to them," he said.

Sari's mouth fell open. So that's what had happened to Prowl. "Prowl?" _Since when did the Decepticon's get their hands on Prowl?_

Optimus nodded once more. "Yes," he said. "It's just as Bumblebee said. If we don't give them your key Prowl will die."

"You can't be serious!" she exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing. "You actually _believed _them!?"

"Decepticons don't lie about things like that," Optimus told her, kneeling down so he was at eye level with her. "If they say they're going to kill someone they will."

She still wasn't about to hand it over. "Can you think of another way?"

"I tried," he told her. "But there is no other way to do this." he put out his hand. "After we get Prowl back I promise I'll do everything I can to get it back for you."

She thought about that a moment. "No."

-----------

"Let me guess, they got away?"

Lockdown refused to look at Megatron's face. Not just because he couldn't stand to look at it but also because his head hurt like crazy and it was resting on the control panel. "Yeah, they got away," he admitted.

Megatron did not sound happy as he said. "You disappoint me, bounty hunter. It seems like every time I hire you to do something for me you can never get it done right."

"Don't blame me," he said defensively, lifting his head to glare at the Decepticon. "You should have-"

"_I_ cannot be blamed for your lack of success," Megatron cut him off. "You know as well as I do how Starscream is."

"It wasn't Starscream that caused the problem," he informed him. "It was the female."

"Yes, Blackarachnia can be just as sneaky as he is," Megatron admitted nodding sagely. "That is probably why they are even together."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I have a mind to fire you," the Decepticon informed him. "Seeing how you can't get the job done."

Lockdown was offended. "I _got _the job done," he told him. "It's not _my_ fault they got away."

"Then _whose_ is it?" Megatron wanted to know. "The Autobots? I doubt they are even aware that those two are here yet."

At that moment Lockdown should have mentioned that Prowl knew and was also after them but he didn't. That bit of information would not help him, it would only make things worse. "They might not know now but they will," he told him.

"And that is why we must capture them before they do," the Decepticon leader replied. "I'm willing to give you one more chance to get the job done right but if you don't succeed I will be forced to step in and deal with them myself."

"I understand," the bounty hunter said, clenching a fist. "I won't fail again."

"Good," Megatron said seemingly satisfied with that answer. "Because if you _do _they won't be the only ones I dismantle."

Lockdown understood what he meant but it didn't worry him that much. "Don't worry, that won't happen."

--------------

"So why did that Autobot act all defensive toward you?" he asked, bringing up a former topic.

She looked at him sharply. "None of your business!" she snapped, not wanting to talk about it.

"My aren't _we_ getting defensive," he said, grinning. He was enjoying getting under her skin. It was amusing beyond words. "Could he be an old boyfriend of yours?"

"No!" she retorted. "I don't know him. I already told you, he probably had me confused with somebody else."

"I _doubt_ that."

"I don't care."

"Then _why_ are you getting so defensive?"

"I'm _not_!"

"Could have fooled me." he folded his arms and looked away from her, turning his attention to the view of the city. It looked nice from up here..

She was just seconds away from choking him. "Shut up!" she ordered. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

He looked back at her with a lazy expression. "You sure?"

She was temped to hit him but held herself back. The last thing she needed was to have a repeat of their other fights, even though Starscream had the bad habit of getting under her skin. She wasn't going to play his game anymore. She ignored the question.

He noticed. He sighed and kicked Prowl again. "Can you at least tell me one thing?"

She gave him a guarded look. "Maybe," she said. "It depends on what you want to ask."

"_Do_ you know him?" he asked again.

"I told you I didn't," she answered.

He gave her a look that said he didn't believe her. "I honestly don't believe that," he said. "Because he acted like _he_ knew _you_. He had the same look on his face that he had when you got me out of that ship." he clenched a fist and asked sharply. "_If _he _does not _know you, _why_ does he look at you that way?"

Blackarachnia was taken aback by the tone in his voice. It sounded different than before. He was sincerely angry about it. As if he actually _cared_. Why? _Is he jealous? _she wondered**. **_**Could**__ he really be jealous? No. That's impossible. He doesn't even like me. There's no way that he's jealous. _

Or could there?

--------------

"Blitzwing," Megatron said, after he'd finished his conversation with Lockdown and turned off the console. "I want you and Lugnut to follow the bounty hunter and keep an eye on him."

"Yes sir," the triple changer said. Then ventured to ask. "Vy?"

"If he cannot capture the traitors I want you to do it," he told him. "I will not tolerate anymore failors."

Blitzwing nodded. He'd been waiting for permission to go after them. Before when he had Megatron had ordered him back and then given him a lecture about disobeying orders. He'd promised to wait for permission next time. "Zey vill not get away again," he promised."

"Good," Megatron said, satisfied. "Now go."

--------------------

"It's time," Starscream said. Two hours had passed. Most of it had been spent in a nervous silence with neither Decepticon speaking to the other. It had made the seeker nervous because he didn't know what she was thinking. Ever since he'd asked her why Sentinel had looked at her the way he had she'd gone silent, refusing to speak to him further.

Now she looked at him and, instead of speaking, just nodded. This wasn't helping. He asked another question, just to get a response. "Aren't you happy?" he asked her. "You'll soon be able to become normal and then you won't have to put up with me anymore. I can take the key and get rid of Megatron and you can pretend you never had to associate with me.." even as he said such things it didn't make him feel any better and he could see it didn't make _her_ feel better either. It seemed to make her feel worse.

_What is this? Why do I feel like I'm lying to her? Why does a part of me not want her to leave? This is stupid. I don't care about her._

"Are you ready to go or not?" he demanded, trying to get back in character. He reached down and grabbed Prowl's arm, lifting him off the roof. "Because once I make this trade we'll be parting ways. If you intend on waiting for me to come back for you it won't happen."

She sighed and headed toward him. When this was over she'd have one less thing to worry about. She just hoped Sentinel wasn't still around. If he was he could ruin everything. The _last _thing she needed was for Starscream to find out she was once an Autobot. Even _Optimus _never mentioned this in front of the Decepticons. But the other Prime had a big mouth. He might just say the wrong thing.

_He'd __**better **__not. _

When she was standing beside him the jet put his arm around her waist and activated his thrusters. Soon they were airborne once more, heading back to the Autobot's base. "Let's hope things go our way this time."

-------------

Time was running out and Sari had not agreed to give them the key. The last thing Optimus wanted to do was force her to give it to them. If she didn't want them to have they weren't going to get it. If he forced her to give it to them she would never trust them again. But what could he do? He knew what would happen to Prowl if he didn't give them the key and so did she. So _why _was she refusing to help them save his life? Why? It didn't make any sense.

"Sari-" he began.

"No," she cut him off stubbornly. "I said no."

He shook his head and turned away from her. "I never thought you could be so selfish," he said, before walking away.

Sari watched him go then looked down at her key. She thought about what he'd said. If they didn't give the Decepticons her key Prowl would die. But she _couldn't _just give them the key. The AllSpark had entrusted it to her. Wouldn't giving them the key be irresponsible? Or would keeping it? If keeping it caused the death of a Cybertronian, was she being irresponsible? Could she just let them kill him then use the key to revive him later?

It happened once but that didn't mean it would happen again. They couldn't take that chance. It might not work.

She took it off her neck and gave it a good look. _What should I do? Should I give it to them? _She tossed the thought around in her mind, getting off the sofa and pacing. Whatever she did it would be one of the hardest decisions she ever made. _I'd better make the right one. _She closed her eyes and thought about it again. After a few more minutes she opened them, having decided what she would do.

She turned around and chased after Optimus. "Optimus!"

_-----------------_

"Are you ever going to talk to me again or not?" Starscream asked once they were in the air. Blackarachnia looked at him but didn't reply. It made him angry. Why was she suddenly being so quiet? Why wasn't she _saying _anything? If this was going to be how it was going to be even after they got the key then he would just dump her somewhere. Her silence was more irritating then when she spoke. _Say something, slag it!_

"Not if you're going to keep on acting like a jerk," she finally said.

"What? I'm _not _acting like a jerk!"

"Liar," she said. "you have _always _been a jerk. A selfish, self centered jerk! You were a jerk from the moment I met you!"

"Oh yeah?" he asked, angrily. "Well how would you like it if this jerk decided to drop you right here? I'm not sure your organic half would be happy if it fell from this height." he grinned mockingly. "I bet it would go _squash_."

That did it. "WHY YOU!" she screamed, grasping his neck in her hands. "Don't even _think _about it!"

Starscream almost dropped Prowl when she started choking him because he had to grab her hands to loosen them. "Ah! Stop it!" he yelled, forcing her hands from his neck.

"Then get any thoughts of dropping me out of your head!"

"If you don't let go of my neck we're both going to drop!" he shot back, already off balance. "Now _let go_!"

When his body titled sharply, she realized what he was saying wasn't a lie and let his neck go. When she did that he let _her _go. "STARSCREAM!" she yelled falling toward the city below.

---------------------

"Are you _sure_ you're not going to change your mind about this?" Optimus asked after Sari had handed him her key.

"I'm sure," she answered, determindly. "I gave it a lot of thought and realized I really _was_ being selfish. The Allspark gave me that key for a reason, but I'm not sure what it is. I know the key can save transformers and, if it means giving it up to save Prowl, I guess it's doing it's job."

He smiled at her. "I'm sure it is," he agreed. "and don't worry. We'll get it back for you."

She smiled back. "You'd better."

He straightened up and started out of the building. "They should be here soon. I'd better head outside otherwise Sentinel might do something he'll regret."

She nodded. Sari knew how Sentinel acted and didn't like him in the least. He had a big mouth too.

--------------

The ground was coming up quickly as Blackarachnia continued to fall. She was angry with herself for listening to Starscream. He'd intended to drop her from the start, she'd just been too stupid to realize that. _Why that no good slag sucking-_

Her thoughts were cut off when her body jerked to a stop and she felt herself ascending. She lifted her head and stared up in surprise at Starscream who had a firm grasp on her arm. _He saved me?!_

"Are you going to stop being such a pain now?" he asked, glaring down at her. He hoped she'd give him the right answer because though half of him wanted her to go splat the other half didn't want to lose her, not yet anyway. "Or do you want me to _make sure _you don't ever do that again?"

She said nothing. Any gratefulness she's felt toward him for not letting her fall melted to anger when she realized what he was doing. But she knew she couldn't get her revenge while they were flying. She would have to wait until they were on solid ground and after they got that key. She couldn't chance missing her chance to become fully mechanical again by doing anything to him too soon. For now she'd let him think he had won. She spoke in a timid voice. "I'm sorry."

He seemed satisfied with that and continued on course, but kept her dangling from his grip, a constant reminder that all he needed to do was let her arm go if she tried anything.

-----------------

Lockdown couldn't start searching until his head had cleared. Because he had so many trophies he came across a part that once belonged to another medic and used it to remove the cyber venom. While he worked on his own repairs he went over what had happened and got angrier each time he repeated the incident with Blackarachnia. _How could I have been so__** stupid**__? I should have known better than to trust a spider. But then again... _he laughed at the thought. _She was right. _

When he was finished he did a search of his base but did not find the other bot he'd brought with him. Prowl wasn't there either. _So he either escaped on his own or... _

Or he'd had a run in with the Decepticons and they'd done something with him. _I wonder what that could be.. _He had an idea but he couldn't be sure if he was right or not. _I'm pretty sure I am though. _

-----------------

"We're here."

Blackarachnia chanced a look down. She saw they were hovering over the warehouse the Autobots were staying in. "Good," she said. _I just hope Sentinel isn't here. He'll ruin everything. _

Starscream descended, his attention focused on the ground below. He saw more than just Optimus standing outside. He frowned, not liking what this could mean. _They had better not be thinking of trying anything. _he noticed the blue Autobot from before was still hanging around. _I wonder why he's still here. _he glanced at Blackarachnia who seemed to have all her attention focused on him as well. _I wonder what she knows about him anyway? _

For some reason that jealous feeling once again came over him. He angrily discarded it, wondering why he was feeling jealous anyway.

_She's growing on you, that's why._

_She is not._

_Oh really?_

_Really._

_Suuuuure._

_-------------------_

Sentinel, who had hung around the Autobot's base for the past two hours was the first to see the pair descending. _Good they're back. Maybe now I'll be able to talk to her. _

He started to run toward the spot where the two would land but Optimus grabbed his arm and held him back. "Don't do anything stupid," he cautioned him.

Sentinel was offended. "I'm _not_," he shot back.

"No?" Optimus said, giving him a look. "It sure looked like you were about to."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Sentinel shot back. He wrenched his arm free. "Now let go of me before I report you for insubordination."

Optimus shook his head and let him go. He would never change. "Just watch what you say," he cautioned.

Sentinel waved him off. "Yeah yeah, I know."

_Somehow I doubt that.  
_

_A/N_

_I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. :( and I don't really like the updates on the site. I think it's causing problems in the reviews section. Either that or this is turning really crappy. It's one or the other. I don't think I'll be updating this one for awhile after I upload this chapter. That month long break killed my entire plotline. :(_

_I totally suck. _


	12. Chapter 12

**HEAD'S UP:**

**I've seen Predacon Rising by now and how Sentinel would react if he saw Elita the way she is now. Even though his reaction was slightly surprising and not exactly what I expected, I'm still continuing this story and making him act the way I figured he would, even if it's not exactly canon. Please don't correct me about it since I **_**am **_**aware that he was like "EW!" and "You're no Elita! Elita died!" That's all I wanted to say. Now to continue this fic after months of vacation. **

CHAPTER 12

Starscream descended toward the parking lot with Blackarachnia clinging to him neck and Prowl dangling from his grasp. He could make out the Autobots below, scurrying like the little insects they were. He could also make out the blue idiot who seemed obsessed with Blackarachnia for some reason. He couldn't understand why the Autobot acted the way he was but he resolved to find out one way or another.

_She is going to tell me what that's about, _he resolved. _Even if I have to force her to. _

"Let's get this over with," Blackarachnia said after a moment.

That's what he'd been thinking. If only to get rid of the Autobot weighing him down. He turned his head and grinned at her. "Exactly what I was thinking." then tipped over and quickly covered the rest of the distance

"Let's get this done as quickly as possible. The last thing we need right now if for the Autobots to be after us as well."

"Well they'll be after us either way," he pointed out. "We will have their key. But don't worry. We can take care of both them _and_ Megatron."

She doubted it but didn't say anything.

When Starscream's feet touched the ground he let go of Blackarachnia who removed her arms from around his neck and stepped back. He considered dropping Prowl but decided against it. Doing so might remove any advantage he had at the moment. He couldn't afford to let that happen, even if Prowl seemed to be coming around. _Don't wake up now, you stupid Autobot!_

He noticed the blue Autobot rushing toward them with the other Autobots not too far behind. By the look on the blue ones face he sensed trouble. He felt Blackaarchnia grasp his arm and tense, as if she was waiting for him to take off if they got too close.

Well they weren't going to get close. He raised his arm and aimed his nullgun at the blue robot. "That's far enough!" he shouted.

The Autobot stopped in his tracks. He wouldn't come any further, not with Starscream's gun trained on him, but that didn't mean he would keep quiet. Before he could speak,though, Optimus came up behind him and hissed. "Don't say anything."

"You don't order me around," Sentinel snapped, turning to his former friend. "I don't want that Decepticon_ touching _her, even if she is a filthy organic."

"Half organic," Optimus pointed out. "I think they call it techno-organic."

"Whatever."

"What do you intend to do?" the other Prime argued, keeping his attention. "You don't want _him_ touching her but I don't think _you _want to touch her either. "

"I want to _talk_ to her," Sentinel shot back. "I don't have to _touch _her to _talk_."

"What if she wants to touch you?"

The look on Sentinel's face told him all he needed to know. Optimus sighed and shook his head. Nothing good would come through either out come. The other Prime wasn't happy that Elita was with Starscream but he _also_ wasn't happy with her current form either. If he _did _speak with her about what happened he wouldn't want her coming near him. It was a lose lose situation but Sentinel didn't seem to realize this or he just didn't care. Was he considering that they might be able to help her like Optimus has suggested to her months ago? Somehow that didn't seem like something Sentinel would do. It probably never even crossed his mind.

"Let me handle this," Optimus said. He stepped around Sentinel before he could respond. Optimus planted himself between his comrades and the Decepticons. He held up his hand, letting the key dangle from its string. "I have what you want!" he called.

Starscream felt Blackarachnia tense and shot her a warning glare. It would be best if she stayed where she was and didn't act too eager. She seemed to understand and stepped back as if to say "The floor is yours so don't blow it, or I'll make you regret it later." He didn't doubt she would. Starscream turned to the Autobots and grinned. "Good," he said. "Now throw it here."

Optimus hesitated. "Not until you release Prowl," he said.

Starscream looked down at Prowl. "Oh, I'll let your friend go," he promised. "But only if you give me the key."

Prime wasn't going to give in that easily. For all he knew Starscream would take the key and fly off with it and Prowl. "Let Prowl go and then I'll give you the key."

Starscream laughed. "You think I'm that stupid, Autobot?" he asked. "If I let your friend go, you won't give me the key."

Optimus didn't say anything.

Starscream made a face. 'There is nothing else I want from you but the key," he told him, his voice taking on a reasonable tone. "If you give it to me I will let your friend go. I won't need him anymore." he put out his hand. "So now that you know that much give it to me."

"Don't do it!" Sentinel hissed, grabbing Optimus arm. "He's lying!"

Optimus looked at him. "No," he said. "I think he's telling the truth."

Sentinel gaped at him. "Are your wires crossed?!" he demanded. "He's a Decepticon! Decepticon's _never _tell the truth."

"You'd be surprised on just how honest they are."

"Optimus-"

But he wasn't listening anymore. He stepped close to the pair and said. "Fine. Here." then he lifted his arm and threw the key.

It landed at their feet. Blackarachnia reached down and picked up the key. The look on her face was full of excited anticipation. Starscream grinned at Optimus.

Optimus frowned. "I gave you what you wanted," he said. "Now give me Prowl."

Starscream looked down at the cyber ninja then back at optimus. "Here you go." then he chucked him right at the Autobot."It was a pleasure doing business with you!"

Optimus didn't even have time to move out of the way. Prowl's body slammed into him and knocked him over. He fell back and smacked into Sentinel who had rushed forward as if he was going to interveen with the exchange. All three Autobots slammed to the ground.

When Optimus looked up he saw Starscream and Blackarachnia shooting into the sky, the seekers crazed laughter echoing after them.

Sentinel shoved the other two Autobots off of him and scrambled to his feet. He watched the pair fly away with a look of utter disbelief. He'd been so close. "This is _your_ fault!" he shouted at Optimus.

Optimus was busy setting Prowl free but he looked up just long enough to say. "_My _fault!?"

"Yes, _your_ fault!" Sentinel started pacing back and forth and waving his hands. "If you hadn't been so willing to bargain with him I could have-"

"I couldn't let them hurt Prowl," Optimus shot back.

"He would have been fine."

The other Prime frowned. He was about to argue with that point but decided against it.

The stasis cuffs fell off. Prowl's optics flickered then activated. He sat up, rubbing his head. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Optimus told him.

Sentinel was still ranting. "You don't realize how important this was!" he was saying. "If you had just stalled them for ten minutes I could have turned this whole situation around! Don't you care that this could help the Decepticons? That this could give Megatron all the power he needs?"

"Sentinel," Optimus cut him off. "I didn't even know you cared about Sari's key. "

"I _do_ care! It's very important that we keep it out of Decepticon hands and you just gave it to them!" Sentinel turned back to him. "and aside from that; you let that Decepticon fly off with Elita!"

"It was her choice," Optimus protested. "She's not going to come back, until she's ready."

Prowl, who had been listening to their argument asked. "Who's Elita?"

Optimus looked down at him. "It's a long story."

* * *

Starscream and Blackarachnia came down a good distance away from the plant. Immediately upon landing Blackarayochnia broke away from Starscream, still holding the key. "I finally got it back," she said, smiling. "Now I can-" a hand reached over her shoulder and yanked the key out of her palms. "Hey!" she exclaimed, turning to face Starscream. "Give that back!"

"Not so fast," he said, putting up a hand to hold her back. "You're not the _only_ one who wanted to use the key, remember? I also have reasons for wanting it."

"They can't be too important," she protested. She tried to grab it. He held it over his head, out of her reach. "Just give it to me! I promise to give it to you when I'm done with it."

He still refused to hand it over. "I don't think so," he said, his voice taunting. "I think I'll use it first then give it to you when I'm done." he dangled the key in front of his face. The AllSpark fragment on his forehead started to glow. He grinned. "Yes, I think I'll be using this first."

"No!" she shouted, lunging for it. "Give it to me! _Now_!"

He pushed her back. She fell to the pavement. "My aren't _we _desperate," he said, looming over her. "It won't hurt you to stay that way a little longer. Besides; it suits you better than whatever you might have looked like before."

She scrambled to her feet. "How would you know?" she snapped.

He grinned. "I just do."

He was making fun of her. She started to retort then decided to try another tactic, one that would work. She let her hands drop to her side and sashayed toward him, plastering a seductive smile on her face. "Is that a compliment?"

Starscream gaped at her, at a loss for words. Her sudden shift in emotion was making him nervous. He stepped away from her. "No!" he insisted. "It wasn't! I was insulting you."

She just smiled. "Oh," she said, putting out her hand and tracing patterns on his chestplate. "I think you're lying."

He opened his mouth to protest but, before he could say another word, she covered it with her own. Starscream, taken by surprise, widened his optics and fell back a few steps, nearly falling over. He had no expected this kind of reaction for his insults. _What in Primus?!_

When she broke the kiss a short time later he was breathing hard and his expression had changed. She grinned up at him then turned and walked away, before he could comment.

He stared after her, raising his hand to rub the top of his head. "Wha-" That's when he noticed that the key was gone. "Hey!" he shouted, running after her. "You tricked me."

She turned back to him, grinning. "All's fair in love and war, Screamer," she taunted, holding the key up and letting it sway back and forth. "You of all people should know that."

"Why you!" he raised his arm and would have blasted her if his arm wasn't suddenly encased in a cube of ice. "What?!"

he looked around for the person responsible, half expecting Blitzwing. To his surprise he spotted Lockdown, decked out in new mods. "You again!"

Blackarachnia turned around. She too spotted the bounty hunter. "How'd he survive my venom?" she demanded.

Lockdown heard her. "I've lived through worse," he told her. "This time I won't let you get close enough to try that again."

She looked at Starscream. "I changed my mind," she said, stepping toward him. "Let's stay together. At least long enough to take him out."

Starscream grinned. "Exactly what I was thinking." he shot into the air. "Not!"

"Starscream!" she yelled at him.

He swooped down and grabbed her up, throwing her over his shoulder. "Just kidding."

She pushed herself up and looked over her shoulder at him. "You jerk!"

He frowned up at her. "You can yell at me later. First let's teach this bounty hunter a lesson he won't soon forget." he changed position and dived at Lockdown.

Lockdown aimed the freeze ray at them. Starcream jerked to the side, avoiding the blast. 'Too slow," he taunted, flying low over Lockdown's head so he had to duck.

"HEY!" she screamed, nearly falling off. "Watch it!"

"Oh I'm _so_ sorry," Starscream said, grinning at her. "Why don't you help me?"

"Help you?" she looked confused. "Help you how?"

"He loosened his grip on her body and let her drop. "Distract him for me!"

"Starscream!" she yelled, flipping over.

"Good luck!" he called down to her.

She jerked around and landed on her hands and knees. She lifted her head and glared up at the jet. _Of course. Leave me with the hard jobs! I'll het you for this, you dirty coward! _She stood up and faced Lockdown who had spotted her and was running toward her.

"I guess your boyfriend abandoned you," he said, smirking.

She glared at him. _He's not my boyfriend._ Right now she could let his words distract her. She got a feeling he wouldn't be so gentle with her this time. She braced herself. "Come to me, you jerk."

* * *

Sentinel wasn't about to stick around with Optimus and the others anymore. He had more important things to do than hang around with a load of malfunctions. So, without even a good bye, he transformed into his vehicle mode and took off before Optimus could stop him.

"Shouldn't you go after him?" Prowl asked, watching the other Prime drive away recklessly.

"No," Optimus told him. "There's nothing I could say or do that would make a difference." he helped the ninja mech to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you inside and have Ratchet take a look at you."

"Megatron's after them as well," the cyber ninja said as they headed back into the plant. "He sent Lockdown to capture them."

_Great. Just what we don't need. _"I'd better go after him after all." he said after a moment. "The last thing we need is for him to run into Lockdown."

"You'd better go now," Prowl agreed. "I'm fine. I can go the rest of the way myself."

Optimus hesitated a moment then nodded. Prowl was right. "I'll be back later," he called over his shoulder as he transformed and took off after Sentinel.

* * *

Jazz had been called in by the Council. He knew exactly what this was about.

Ultra Magnus stood on his platform, looking down at the white Autobot who looked nervous. "Jazz," he said. The other Autobot lifted his head. "It has come to my attention that you know Sentinel was going to leave the planet."

Jazz nodded.

"If that is true, why didn't you stop him?" Magnus demanded.

"I told him it wasn't a good idea," Jazz told him. "But you know Sentinel. He does his own thing. He won't listen to me because my rank isn't as high as his...."

"That is no excuse," Alpha Trion spoke up. "You should have tried harder."

Jazz was silent. He had no idea what to say. There was nothing he _could_ say. Of course Sentinel knew that his actions were irrational but it was a mystery why he was even acting that way in the first place. Was he that desperate to get Starscream back? He should have known this wouldn't sit well with the Council, especially now. "I honestly can't see how I am being held responsible," Jazz finally said. "It wasn't my decision. Sentinel knew the consequences when he left."

"True as that may be you still should have done more to stop him," Magnus said. "So until Sentinel comes back and can explain himself we're putting you on temporary suspension." he raised his hand, stopping any argument. "You may go now."

* * *

Lockdown's hand turned into a chainsaw. He swung it at Blackarachnia who dodged the blow and tried to get behind him. If she could she would have the advantage. Unfortunatel,y he was wise to her tricks by now and wouldn't let her leave his field of vision.

She jumped away when he tried to hit her with the chainsaw and chanced one glance at the sky. Starscream seemed to have vanished. _I knew it! He's going to leave me here to deal with this annoying son of a glitch by myself! _

Lockdown was feeling confident. Blackarachnia wasn't as much of a problem by herself. "I guess you're all alone."

"You should really stop saying that prematurely."

"Huh?" Lockdown looked over his shoulder. A blast of energy hit him in the face, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying. Blackaarchnia watched him fly through the air and crash into the ground. This time he didn't get up.

Blackarachnia looked up at Starscream who came flying out of the sky, grinning like a nutcase. 'Took you long enough," she commented.

He didn't even look like he was sorry. "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry," he said sarcastically. "I saw something and got distracted."

"Like what?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. _This had better be good. _

The seeker pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Him."

"Who?" she looked around him and saw who he was talking about. "Oh no, not again."

He grinned at her. "Looks like Lockdown's not the _only_ person we have to deal with."

Before she could comment, he grabbed her up and shot into the sky. He heard the other person transform as well and then heard a loud angry voice bellow. "**YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET AVAY FROM ME!"**

Blackarachnia spotted Blitzwing in his jet mode, giving chase. "Is everyone out to get us today or just people we don't want to run into?" she demanded.

"Sure looks like it," he said. "But at least it's not Megatron. What do you think we should do about it?"

She could sense he already knew what he wanted to do about it but she said anyway, just so they could get it over with. "Let's take care of it," she told him.

He grinned. "Exactly what I was thinking." he threw her into the air. She screamed as she plummeted.

Blitzwing, noticing her falling decided to take care of her first and flew after her. _**"Time to go swuash, halfling!" **_Random cackled madly.

Now that Blitzwing was distracted Starscream saw his chance and flew up behind the triple changer. He aimed both his nullguns at his thrusters and fired. The blasts met their marks and exploded. Blitzwing started to plummet in the opposite direction. _**"I'm falling! HAHAHAHA!"**_

"Well that takes care of him."

"STARSCREAM!"

Opps. He'd almost forgotten about the femme. He changed course and dived. He found Blackarachnia hanging from a flag pole that she's been fortunate enough to grab onto. She glared at him as he hovered in front of he, looking a bit sheepish. "Don't ever do that again," she ground out through clenched teeth.

He opened his mouth to respond when suddenly a flying projectile came flying out of nowhere and nearly hit him. He dodged to the side just in time. A shield smacked into a wall and remained stuck there.  
"You stay away from her!" a voice shouted from below.

The two Decepticons looked at the ground. They saw Sentinel Prime standing below them. He looked angry. "Not him again," Starscream grumbled. He was getting real sick of seeing that stupid blue Autobot. He looked at Blackarachnia. "That guy sure took your break up pretty hard, didn't he?"

"We never broke up!" she shouted at him. "He's not my boyfriend!"

He made a face. "Then _what_ is he?"

"A pest." was the instant reply. What was with Sentinel anyway? Appearing at the worst possible times.

Stascream didn't look like he believed her. "Why does something tell me something else?" he asked, putting a hand on her face.

"Are you listening to me, you filth Decepticon?" he shouted. "and keep your hands off of her!"

Starscream glared down at him. "This guy is really getting on my nerves," he growled. "I should teach him a lesson." He looked at Blackarachnia. "That is in case you-"

"No!" she cut him off. "Just do it already!"

He sighed as if she was assigning him a hard task. "If you insist." he turned from her and lunged down at Sentinel. "Okay, Autobot. Come and get me!"

_A/N_

_I'm not sure how I'm going to end this one but I do intend to. I just don't know when that will be. I just hope they're in character, even though I know Sentinel's not really... not by Hasbro's interpretation but I always had a slightly different take on people's personalities. _


End file.
